Lanzarote will be able to monitor and detect Covid-19 in wastewater, thanks to the so-called Early Warning System. This analysis and detection system approved by the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology aims to "anticipate the detection capacity of the coronavirus, to intervene in the nuclei where the virus may be infecting."
This was announced by the president of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, who this Thursday offered a press conference to announce this new system that the Corporation will implement. "This is an ambitious project that we have just contracted and that will begin to function at the end of next week and that, broadly speaking, is based on the collection of wastewater samples at different points in the sanitation network. These samples are subjected to techniques that allow the RNA present in the viruses to be concentrated and extracted. In this way, it is easily geographically located, it is studied where the virus and its disease are infecting, before symptoms appear in the population."
The process begins by analyzing the water from the large collectors where wastewater converges. The moment one of them appears with a high incidence of coronavirus, it goes to the nearest sewers, discarding those that do not report incidents, to narrow down neighborhoods and finally streets. In this way, the Covid team can be directed to take the appropriate sanitary measures, in specific geographical locations, facilitating tracking tasks and anticipating outbreaks.
"The Security and Emergency Consortium has jointly participated in this ambitious project, with the collaboration of the Lanzarote Water Consortium," the Cabildo states, which has announced that the system will begin to function at the end of next week.
How the Early Detection System Works
Wastewater samples are collected at different points in the sanitation network. These samples are subjected to techniques that allow the RNA present in the viruses to be concentrated and extracted. Next, using test methods validated by the CSIC, the genomic remains from the coronavirus are quantified. Finally, this data is uploaded to a computer platform that, with different statistical and big data techniques, will provide predictive information that will allow anticipating the evolution of infections.
"The system allows not only to locate the existence of virus remains in the analyzed sample, but also to determine the amount of remains and predict the evolution of infections in a way that it functions as an early warning system," explain from the Cabildo.
"It should be noted that from the moment the infection occurs, and until the first symptoms appear, about seven days pass, where the virus operates without being detected, silently infecting an unsuspecting population, since the patient does not contact the health authorities until the symptoms appear. From that moment on, the procedure is activated, tests are carried out, results are waited for... Therefore, from the moment the person is infected until they present those symptoms and are tested by the system, they involuntarily become a silent virus spreader," they recall.
However, from the first day after the infection, the infected person begins to excrete viral remains, which go to the sewer and can be detected by the monitoring system. Therefore, the early warning system will be able to warn, several days in advance, that the detection values of covid are skyrocketing and make predictions about its evolution.
There will be 20 initial sampling points
Lanzarote will start with an initial amount of 20 sampling points located in the main collectors of the different municipalities. At these points, samples will be taken every three days. If the detection values increase in any of them, samples will be taken in the branches that reach the affected collector.
Thus, it will be possible to narrow down the area in which the infections are occurring. From that moment on, the health teams can take different measures, such as carrying out massive PCR tests or any other epidemiological investigation technique.
"This new service will make prevention more efficient, by being able to concentrate health resources in the areas that are really affected," they emphasize from the Cabildo, which points out that this will allow "carrying out massive screenings in an area where we already know that there is a significant number of infections."
"Lanzarote goes from a reactive scenario, in which action is taken when the affected person feels the symptoms and takes the tests, to a preventive scenario," he points out. In this way, public health teams can anticipate their measures before symptoms appear in the population, inviting them to undergo diagnostic tests."
