Lawmakers urge wastewater-based epidemiology COVID-19 testing

A group of legislators recently encouraged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to invest federal funding in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) with an eye toward low-cost, effective COVID-19 testing.

Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA) recently joined 11 colleagues in forwarding correspondence to the CDC regarding the matter while also requesting the CDC provide information on federal plans to implement a nationwide COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program.

“We need to get creative to fight COVID-19 over the long term, and wastewater testing is a simple, inexpensive solution for public health authorities to get a handle on this dangerous epidemic,” Cox said. “Along with widespread testing, this can help fill in the gaps and save lives,” said Rep. TJ Cox.

The lawmakers maintain WBE is an under-utilized solution for surveillance testing that can aid in identifying and tracking COVID-19 outbreaks by collecting and testing wastewater samples from sewers.

The procedure’s effectiveness was proven in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area, officials said, where a cluster of infection was first identified by WBE in the town of Guadalupe, leading to a public health response reducing community virus levels.

In the letter to the CDC, the lawmakers asked a series of questions, including what is being done to be inclusive of rural, minority, and underserved communities; what the status is of the National Wastewater Surveillance System database; what the CDC’s professional judgment budget estimate is for the necessary funding to successfully carry out this effort; and how the CDC is collaborating with the Environmental Protection Agency on WBE.