Aims

To use sewer network modelling to provide more accurate estimates of COVID-19 cases. To examine different modelling approaches for harmonising wastewater-based COVID-19 surveillance with traditional COVID-19 surveillance within the same catchment.

Key Outcomes

  • Develop the modelling capacity to accurate predict COVID-19 cases (symptomatic and asymptomatic) within a wastewater catchment from viral RNA.
  • Develop the methodology for using the sewage network for the identification of COVID-19 hotspots.
  • Capacity building UK WBE method for future application to other key public health infection risks, including vaccination-preventable illness.

Lead Scientists

  1. Rowland Kao (Edinburgh University)
  2. Chris Jewels (Lancaster University)
  3. Koen Pouwels (Oxford University)
  4. Vanessa Speight (Sheffield University)
  5. David Graham (Newcastle University)
  6. Marcos Quintela-Baluja (Newcastle University)
  7. Andrew Singer (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)