An early warning system for monitoring COVID-19 infections in South Africa
Submitted by
Durban University of Technology
Summary of the impact:
The COVID-19 pandemic was a global public health challenge of epic proportions, which necessitated an effective and responsive monitoring approach. The Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) adapted cutting-edge technology using wastewater-based epidemiology methods (WBE) supported by novel molecular techniques such as droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to monitor the progression of the pandemic in communities in the urban and peri-urban environments. This was the only instance of the application nationally and one of the few teams internationally.
The scale of the pandemic necessitated the participation of a multidisciplinary team of experts from the health and scientific disciplines, resulting in the formation of the SACCESS network and partners from the Department of Health (KZN), the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, water utilities, and municipal stakeholders.
In early 2021, IWWT started monitoring