Chicago, U of I embark on $2 million program to detect COVID in sewage

Chicago's health department will work with a team of University of Illinois researchers to monitor COVID-19 in wastewater as part of a $2 million program over the next two years.

The aim of the project is to collect sewage samples in order to detect the virus and potentially predict future outbreaks. The virus is detectable in human waste from the beginning of infection well before symptoms show up in people, researchers say.

Measuring the amount of virus in sewage can point to community trends that help health officials pinpoint their response and control efforts during the pandemic.

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