INSACOG is further going to increase the sites for the sewage sample collection. "We'll try to see just like polio, we have over 50 sites similarly for COVID-19, we will increase the number of sites so that the whole country is represented in that," said NTAGI Chairman. "We have started analysing the gutter fluid for viruses despite the number of fewer cases, if there is any new variant coming up, it will be picked up from that because a lot of patients, a lot of people are asymptomatic, but they excrete the virus into the country." Several experts had earlier highlighted that environmental surveillance is an important indicator for the virus.
Dr Priya Abraham, Director, ICMR-NIV, Pune told ANI, "One environmental surveillance which people are doing is actually the sewage water sampling, which is like an indirect indicator that a particular area from where that sewage water is being drained from still has COVID-19 activity.
So that's one way to do environmental monitoring or surveillance." Download the App to get 14 days of unlimited access to Mint Premium absolutely free!