Averting an Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a University Residence Hall through Wastewater Surveillance
Ryland Corchis-Scott, Qiudi Geng, Rajesh Seth, Rajan Ray, Mohsan R. Beg, Nihar Biswas, Lynn Charron, Kenneth D. Drouillard, Ramsey D’Souza, Daniel D. Heath, Chris Houser, Felicia Lawal, James McGinlay, Sherri Lynne Menard, Lisa A. Porter, Diane Rawlings, Matthew L. Scholl, K. W. Michael Siu, Yufeng Tong, Christopher G. Weisener, Steven W. Wilhelm, R. Michael L. McKay
Abstract
Among early adopters of wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 have been colleges and universities throughout North America, many of whom are using this approach to monitor congregate living facilities for early evidence of COVID-19 infection as an integral component of campus screening programs. Yet, while there have been numerous examples where wastewater monitoring on a university campus has detected evidence for infection among community members, there are few examples where this monitoring triggered a public health response that may have averted an actual outbreak. This report details a wastewater-testing program targeting a residence hall on a university campus during spring 2021, when there was mounting concern globally over the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, reported to be more transmissible than the wild-type Wuhan strain. In this communication, we present a clear example of how wastewater monitoring resulted in actionable responses by university administration and public health, which averted an outbreak of COVID-19 on a university campus.