The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the citywide system to monitor the virus that causes COVID-19 and its variants in wastewater will continue for two years, leveraging $2.14 million in federal funding. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is detectable in human waste nearly from the onset of infection, while symptoms may not appear for three to five days – or for some, not at all. DPI, which is part of the University of Illinois system, and CDPH’s wastewater surveillance system to monitor SARS-CoV-2 launched in October. Findings are used – along with other public health surveillance data – to inform the City’s COVID-19 response, for example, by providing early warnings of a potential outbreak, or helping the City prioritize communities for enhanced COVID-19 testing or vaccination services. This system does not identify individuals who are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, but it allows the health department to monitor infection levels at community or population levels. The program builds on two prior initiatives: DPI’s efforts to develop a statewide monitoring system for the Illinois Department of Public Health, and previous sewer monitoring in Chicago and the Cook County Jail and O’Hare International Airport, funded by the Walder Foundation.