Covid-19: Traces of Covid-19 found in wastewater from the outskirts of Polylua and Wellington in Calori

Further traces of Covid-19 were found in wastewater samples taken in the Wellington area.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said weak positive results were detected in wastewater samples taken from the suburbs of Wellington in Polylua and Calori on May 16.

More wastewater samples were taken after the traces of COVID-19 Found in Wastewater treatment plant at Moa Point, Wellington The end of last week.Health officials said Two wastewater samples Returned a weak positive result against Covid-19 – this is probably Recently recovered cases Continue to shed the virus.

New samples were taken from More Point, Polylua, Hat Valley and Calori.

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The Ministry of Health said additional samples tested from More Point and Hat Valley did not detect virus fragments over May 15, May 16, and May 17.

The May 15 and May 17 samples of Polylua and Calori returned negative results, so no fragments of the Covid-19 virus were detected at the time, the ministry said.

Additional samples were taken on Tuesday, and the ministry said it would provide up-to-date information on those test results on Thursday.

“There is no risk of infection with Covid-19 in wastewater,” the ministry said. “The ministry’s current assessment suggests that recently recovered cases are likely to have weak positive results because they continue to shed the virus.”

What is a Covid-19 wastewater test?

Covid-19 wastewater inspection It was first launched in April 2020 with the aim of providing early warning of outbreaks or additional monitoring tools.

Science is done Developed since then, Tested in November 2020. The number of sites is steadily expanding and ESR is currently conducting regular wastewater tests throughout its sites in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Rotorua, Hamilton and Queenstown.

sample Processed at ESR Labs in Wellington, And checked for accuracy – includes adding feline coronavirus and murine norovirus to all samples as controls.

What does a weak positive test mean?

A weak positive test indicates that one or more people in Wellington were infected with the coronavirus, but ESR requires a relatively high level of consistent detection of the virus to show this. He said it did not indicate an outbreak.

That’s why you get a set of samples instead of a one-time test.

“Historical cases can occasionally produce sporadic low-level results, but not continuous detectable levels.” ESR said on its website..

ESR science leader Dr. Brent Gilpin previously said that a positive checkpoint test is a sign that encourages additional testing to ensure that the community is free of undetected Covid-19. ..

Positive wastewater results In parts of australia No community cases were found.

Why did Wellington have a positive test result when other outbreaks and recovered cases were not taken up in the wastewater?

It is unclear at this stage why the case recovered in Wellington gave a positive result, but not in the other recovered cases.

However, it may have been due to a combination of the three cases recovered in Wellington and more historical cases in the area.

Do you need to worry?

Epidemiologist Michael Baker said a positive test does not mean that there is an infection in the community, but a signal for further investigation.

“This is a surveillance system and only gives an early warning.”

He said it may be a historic event that is no longer infectious, but still has traces of Covid-19.

“The traces of Covid-19 in the water do not tell us if there are any active people. It just indicates that there are some debris in the water.”

What if I live in Wellington?

If you develop symptoms that match Covid-19, call Healthline (0800 358 5453) or your doctor, or visit a testing station for testing.

Symptoms include new or worsening cough, fever, shortness of breath, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, and / or temporary loss of odor.

The Wellington area’s primary health organization will extend test center time as needed.