MU researchers study wastewater for SARS-CoV-2
Holden Young calibrates the pH meter for use in processing wastewater samples. (Marshall | Courtesy)
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Members of the Marshall University research community have looked to an unusual outlet to supplement the battle against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.
According to a news release from the university, starting in the fall of 2020, a collaboration of Marshall programs began working together to collect and test campus wastewater for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Dr. Chuck Somerville, the dean of the College Science, was among a group of Marshall University employees that became aware of a program being used at municipalities across the country that would test municipal wastewater as a predictor for clinical outbreaks of the disease. The idea was that if a residence hall waste stream tests positive for Sars-Cov 2, campus safety could monitor those facilities.