Illinois wastewater to undergo testing for coronavirus

Illinois to begin testing wastewater for COVID-19

Illinois health officials are turning to sewage to find cases of coronavirus before it spreads.

CHICAGO - Illinois health officials are turning to sewage to find cases of coronavirus before it spreads.

The Department of Public Health announced on Monday it's providing $5.5 million for the next year to build and support a statewide system to monitor wastewater for the virus that causes COVID-19.

"Wastewater testing has been used successfully in the past for early detection of diseases, such as polio," said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. "Measuring the virus levels in untreated wastewater can serve as an early indicator of increasing infections in a community and can inform our public health actions."

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Illinois officials analyzing wastewater to curb spread of COVID-19

University of Illinois at Chicago professor Rachel Poretsky talks about their study into the state's wastewater and what it can tell us about future outbreaks of COVID-19.

The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is normally detectable in human waste three to five days before people show symptoms, according to state health officials.

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The testing program will be rolled out in phases, starting with testing in 10 counties including Carroll, Cass, Franklin, Fulton, Jefferson, Lawrence, Livingston, Macon, Montgomery and Vermilion.

Officials say they plan to test 35 Illinois counties by mid-summer and all 102 counties by the end of the year.