Wastewater testing: a ‘natural progression’ of COVID-19 detection

USD’s new program to monitor Covid cases on campus

SALENA CHACON / ASST. NEWS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Over 30,000 COVID-19 tests were administered on campus last year, and this year University Operations inaugurated a new program to monitor COVID-19 levels before testing is necessary. This new program involves an unlikely component from USD students: their toilet visits. Wastewater, according to the USD News Center, is defined as “used water that contains various types of sewage.” The sewage relevant to the program is domestic, which contains human waste. 

Every weekday, 23 samples of wastewater are collected from residential and academic areas on campus. These samples are sent to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) for testing, and students can view the results of the tests online by navigating the COVID-19 Dashboard of the Onward USD website. This advanced method of virus identification permits students to see the areas on campus that contain a positive case. 

“Data has shown that by screening wastewater, even a single infected, asymptomatic person can be detected from within a larger population, such as a dormitory,” University Operations said in an article from the USD News Center. “Being able to detect positive cases allows the university to notify occupants of that area. Then, the campus community who may have been exposed can monitor themselves for symptoms or get tested.”

Ky Snyder, Vice President of University Operations, explained how this program reflects the evolution of COVID-19 response.

“Wastewater testing is a natural progression of the science of understanding COVID-19 and how we can best detect and manage it as part of our lives,” Snyder said. “Wastewater testing allows us to know whether COVID-19 may be present, even before symptoms start to develop for the infected individual.”

Although this program can help minimize testing, Snyder emphasized that USD will still provide other resources for COVID-19 relief.

“We are providing free COVID-19 test kits at the Torero Store so that our campus community may test themselves if they may have been exposed,” Snyder explained. “The County COVID-19 testing site located on the western portion of campus in Alcalá Park West continues to be open Tuesday through Saturday for testing as well.” 

COVID-19 infections in San Diego County averaged around 406 case counts per day from Sept. 8-14, 2022, according to SanDiegoCounty.gov. 

Sister Mary Hotz, a professor in the English Department, consistently tracks the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases in both San Diego county and at USD through the wastewater program, to make an informed decision about mask mandates in class. Since the numbers have been diminishing, she made the decision to let the individual students choose if they want to wear masks. As an essential worker, she wears a mask to protect her health, and she respects the decisions of her students if they wish to remain masked or not. 

USD sophomore Madison Mai-Prasarnsuk noticed differences between COVID-19 regulations this year compared to last year at USD, such as the removal of random testing and the move from PCR testing to self and rapid testing. 

“None of my classes require masks. It definitely seems more relaxed,” Mai-Prasarnsuk noted regarding Covid regulations for the 2022 school year. 

Unlike Mai-Prasarnsuk, USD first-year Michaela Garcia could only compare her experience with COVID-19 rules between USD and her high school.

“Last year in my high school, it was enforced that we wear masks and social distance. Going to USD, they don’t enforce masks in most of my classes and there isn’t really any social distancing. It’s a lot more relaxed at USD,” Garcia said. 

Both Mai-Prasarnsuk and Garcia are comfortable without wearing masks in class, but they are willing to put one on if necessary. When making the decision whether or not to wear a mask in class, students should monitor their symptoms, and wear a mask to class if they feel unwell. Also, students can consult the outcomes of the wastewater testing.  

“You can go to the SanDiego.edu/onward site and review daily wastewater data on COVID-19’s presence on campus. Buildings are highlighted if COVID-19 has been detected in the wastewater of that building. In addition, if someone has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been in a campus building in the last 24 hours, a small red dot will appear on that building,” Synder wrote in an email.

Wastewater testing demonstrates the advancement of COVID-19 detection technology and how the environment can be used to indicate the presence of COVID-19 as opposed to testing individuals. If students reside in a building that has reported a high number of COVID-19 cases, they may consider taking extra precautions and wearing a mask to class, or taking advantage of the COVID-19 tests provided by the school.