As colleges grapple with the coronavirus, institutions across the country are monitoring campus sewage to assess the spread of the virus.
At least two schools in Utah and Arizona have quarantined hundreds of students after tests showed the presence of genetic material from the virus in wastewater. Experts say it can be an inexpensive way to monitor people who may not even know they are sick yet. It’s still an imprecise measure for now, but as outbreaks continue on college and university campuses nationwide, officials say wastewater monitoring holds serious promise as an early detection system.
