The COVID-19 Wastewater Connection

Throughout the pandemic, Ohio State researchers have collaborated on a variety of projects that have helped make communities safer. In particular, a collaboration of the Ohio Water Resources Center and its statewide partners, continues to yield crucial data in the battle against SARS-CoV-2.

Created in May 2020, the Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network (OCWMN) provided lead indication of SARS-CoV-2 trend in the wastewater of monitored communities. Since its inception, the OCWMN monitored nearly 70 locations across Ohio. The majority of these sites were monitored twice weekly.

Although wastewater monitoring cannot predict the amount of people currently infected in communities, Zuzana Bohrerova, Associate Director of the Ohio Water Resources Center (OWRC), stated that it can indicate the potential increase or decrease or steady state of disease spread. "Additionally, the extracted viral RNA from wastewater can be sequenced to provide evidence for current variants circulating in population," she added.

In April 2021, OCWMN began sequencing wastewater, a method that evaluates the type of SARS-CoV-2 variant present. Scientists briefly saw the Alpha SARS-CoV-2 variant being replaced entirely by the Delta variant and now note the emergence of the Omicron variant in Ohio communities.

After sequencing at The Ohio State University, the state's first three positive Omicron variants were announced by the Ohio Department of Health on December 11, 2021. This newly emerging variant was detected from samples taken on December 5, 2021 – one in a Columbus Treatment plant (Jackson Pike) and two in Cleveland treatment plants (NEORDS Southerly and NEORDS Westerly).

Positive cases of the Omicron variant were identified in both of these communities – two people in Columbus on December 7, 2021 and one person in Cleveland on December 6, 2021, and marked the start of community spread of the Omicron variant.

In the coming weeks, Bohrerova expects an increase in Ohio locations where the Omicron variant is present. Referring to preliminary, not-yet-published research conducted in the United Kingdom, Dr. Bohrerova said it appears that Omicron may be more infective (spreading faster) than Delta variant. "It is still not clear how severe the outcomes of infections are," she added.

Bohrerova called the Network's findings a useful tool for public health officials and other stakeholders to employ in its efforts to keep communities safe. "The wastewater monitoring has been able to provide early insight into SARS-CoV-2 community trend and act as a complimentary tool to other more traditional disease monitoring techniques, such as case counts and hospitalizations," she said. "This is a significant investment by the state of Ohio in the public infrastructure for wastewater monitoring."

She emphasized how prevention tools recommended by the ODH and other agencies, such as public members getting vaccinated and neighbors checking on those around them, can benefit the entire community. "Always exercise caution when visiting family and interacting with people who may be more vulnerable to the virus," Dr. Bohrerova concluded.

Learn more about Ohio State and the OCWMN's efforts to detect COVID-19.