Lewis-Clark State College has received a grant for $137,700 to study area wastewater treatment plants to measure for levels of SARS-CoV-2, which could help predict outbreaks of COVID-19 in advance to aid local healthcare professionals.
The grant is from the state of Idaho through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Wastewater testing can be a leading preliminary indicator of changes in COVID-19 in a community, which would allow local healthcare professionals and hospitals to prepare for a spike in COVID cases as much as two weeks ahead of time. Wastewater and sewage RNA testing has been successfully used as a method for early detection of other diseases, such as polio and hepatitis A.
LC State biology professors Leigh Latta and Jacob Hornby applied for the grant and, with the help of students, will conduct the testing in a safe and sanitized environment. Latta said all four of the four-year state public institutions are taking part in the grant, along with the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories. The five will serve as regional testing facilities and will use the same equipment at each facility. He also said there are 4 to 5 students who will start out on the project, including one student who plans to pursue a career in epidemiology.
The grant runs through the summer of 2023. (LC State News)
