COVID-19. Coronavirus concentrations in the Gothenburg wastewater are declining once more, after a modest increase around the winter sports school holidays, according to measurements and analyses from the University.
There has been a further decrease in the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater from Gothenburg, following the upturn in the last week of February. This upturn was probably due to the winter sports holiday the week before (in Gothenburg, it invariably falls in the seventh week of the year). The level is now roughly the same as it was a fortnight ago.
In terms of a longer period, the current concentration remains relatively high. However, it is still below several peaks of the previous pandemic waves, and far below the peak of the fourth wave that started in mid-December.
Positive trend
Photo: Elin Lindström
“The falling figures are good news. We also see that the BA.2 subvariant of omicron far outweighs the rest,” says Heléne Norder, adjunct professor at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and microbiologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
The latest measurements and analyses are based on samples collected in the week from 28 February to 6 March. The investigations are conducted in collaboration with Gryaab, the municipally owned company responsible for wastewater treatment in Gothenburg and its surrounding municipalities. Every week, Gryaab sends the researchers a sample composed of the past week’s daily samples.
These surveys of SARS-CoV-2 in the Gothenburg wastewater have been underway for two years, since mid-February 2020. The research group reports its results to care providers and the Infection Control Unit in Region Västra Götaland.
Rise in norovirus
During the pandemic, the increased presence of coronavirus in wastewater — reflecting the rise in the incidence of COVID-19 in the community — has made peak loads in the health care services predictable to a varying degree.
With the changes in COVID-19 testing of the population, the measurements and analyses have become more important. Now that fewer people are being tested, the number of cases found tells us less about the spread of infection in society.
This week, the researchers have also noted a marked upturn in the concentration of norovirus (the “winter vomiting bug”), a highly infectious virus, in the wastewater of Gothenburg.
BY: MARGARETA GUSTAFSSON KUBISTA
