Sewage – Stabilization trends of viral load in Thessaloniki

A stabilizing trend of SARS-CoV-2 concentration in the municipal waste of Thessaloniki is observed in the latest measurements for the research conducted by the Sewage Epidemiology Team of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) with the ThessalonikiWater and Sewerage Company (EYATH) in collaboration with Macedonia and in the context of the National Network of EODY.

Specifically, in the samples taken daily at the entrance of the Thessaloniki Wastewater Treatment Plant, regarding the rationalized values ​​of relative secretion of viral load, the average value of the two most recent measurements, ie Monday 02/08 and Tuesday 03/08, are:

Marginally stable (-25%), in relation to the average value of the two immediately preceding measurements of Saturday 31/07 and Sunday 01/08

Marginally stable (-21%), compared to the average price of the previous Monday 26/07 and Tuesday 27/07

“There is evidence of de-escalation of the viral load, on the verge of experimental uncertainty, but if it is confirmed in the coming days, it should clearly be taken into account that a significant part of the population leaves the city in August, not just on weekends. but for his summer vacations “, rector of AUTh and the person scientifically responsible for the research project, Professor Nikos Papaioannou told AMNA news agency.

At the moment, as he explained, “the rather limited traffic in the city – whether we are talking about entertainment venues, or workplaces, shops, means of transport – does not favor the over-transmission of the virus, so people should be very be careful in the tourist areas where they move, to avoid overcrowding and to observe the self-protection measures, so that they are not exposed to the virus, then transmitting it to the urban centers and to their relatives ”

The coronavirus assessment methodology in municipal waste, developed by the AUTh team, streamlines the measurements of the virus genome concentration based on 24 environmental factors, which may alter the results of the measurements.