Covid-19

Scientists at KTH analyses traces of Covid-19 in wastewater in the Stockholm region.

Wastewater analysis can be an important source for information in the combat of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully it could also lead to an early warning system. This project is carried out by the SciLifeLab and the SEED and Chemical Engineering departments at KTH, in close collaboration with the partners Stockholm Vatten och Avfall and Värmdö municipality. The WaterCentre@KTH supports the project with an initial grant. Our research also receives support from Knut och Alice Wallenberg foundation.

Results

Virus have been traced in the samples from the incoming wastewater. Using the same analysis method as for incoming wastewater, virus RNA had not been detected in the samples from the outgoing wastewater. The results indicate replicability of the method and further confirms the potential of tracing SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater as a useful method for monitoring the pandemic.

Link to COVID-19 Data Portal with SARS-CoV-2 wastewater data from cities across Sweden

Summary of preliminary results from wastewater analysis for tracing SARS-CoV-2, August 29, 2021

Summary of preliminary results from wastewater analysis for tracing SARS-CoV-2, June 14, 2021

Summary of preliminary results from wastewater analysis for tracing SARS-CoV-2, May 7, 2021

Summary of preliminary results from wastewater analysis for tracing SARS-CoV-2, April 30, 2021

Summary of preliminary results from wastewater analysis for tracing SARS-CoV-2, February 26, 2021

Summary of preliminary results form wastewater analysis for tracing SARS-CoV-2, October 5, 2020

Summary of preliminary results from wastewater analysis for tracing SARS-CoV-2 in Stockholm at Käppalaverket, Lidingö, May 29, 2020 (docx 58 kB)

Summary of preliminary results from wastewater analysis for tracing SARS-CoV-2 in Stockholm, May 5, 2020 (docx 59 kB)

Publication

Jefferali, Khatami et al. 2020, Benchmarking virus concentration methods for quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in raw wastewater

Coming steps

The ambition of KTH and partners is to continue the sampling and
analysis throughout 2020 after which a new decision will be made,
depending on resources available and demand from relevant public health
authorities. We also welcome the continued collaboration with SciLifeLab, Uppsala University and SLU, and international partners, in developing knowledge and methods for waste-water based epidemiology.

The research depends on scarce resources. The staff is working hard to reach the objectives, mostly on voluntary basis. Do you want to contribute to the work? Please visit the donations page: More about supporting KTH's research

Media coverage, newest items first

"Halterna av coronavirus i avloppsvattnet ökar" in Dagens nyheter (in Swedish)

"Avloppsvattnet visar att virusmängderna ökar kraftigt i Stockholm" in Dagens nyheter (in Swedish)

"Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: Global Collaborative to Maximize Contributions in the Fight Against COVID-19" in Environmental Science & Technology

"Indian scientists find Covid-19 gene in wastewater, hailed by global community" in the Times of India

"Storskalig antikroppstestning - utmaningar och möjligheter" on kth.se (seminar in Swedish)

"Vattenprov ska förvarna om pandemins andra våg" on kth.se (seminar in Swedish)

"Detection of COVID-19 in Stockholm sewage is first step toward early-warning system" on kth.se

"Coronavirus hittat i Stockholms avloppsvatten" on TV4 Nyheterna (in Swedish)

"Forskarna har hittat covid-19 i Stockholms avloppsvatten" on dn.se (in Swedish)

"Höga virushalter i Stockholms avloppsvatten" on aftonbladet.se (in Swedish)

"Jakter smitte i kloakken" on dagbladet.no (in Norwegian)

"Höga halter av coronavirus i Brommabornas avloppsvatten" on mitti.se (in Swedish)

"Researchers sample sewage to measure infections in six European countries" on kth.se

"About using wastewater to track COVID-19" on kth.se/water

"Testing wastewater to detect waves of COVID-19 infection" on scilifelab.se

"Tracking sewage to surveil COVID-19" on mongabay.com

"Ahmedabad: ‘Sewage water tests can signal Covid-19’" in the Times of India

"Kan smittespredning av korona vises i avløpsvann?" in Aftenposten (in Norwegian)

"Avloppsvatten avslöjar virusets spridning" in Forskning & Framsteg (in Swedish)

"Nu testas Stockholms avloppsvatten för att spåra en andra virusvåg" on dn.se (in Swedish)

"Coronaviruset ska spåras via avloppsvatten" on sverigesradio.se (in Swedish)

"Coronavirus ska spåras i avloppsvatten" in SR Vetenskapsradion (in Swedish)

"KTH spårar coronavirus i avlopp" on cirkulation.se (in Swedish)

Professor Prosun Bhattacharya in SR Morgonpasset i P3 (at 9 minutes, in Swedish)

Donations

Support KTH's research on COVID-19 by giving money.

More about supporting KTH's research

Global cooperation

The Sewage Analysis CORe group Europe (SCORE) network and the Global Water Pathogen Project have launched the COVID-19 Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Collaborative website covid19wbec.org as a hub to coordinate and promote the efforts of all the international research groups undertaking Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for COVID-19.