Researchers at UNLV are analyzing wastewater to help understand the course of the pandemic.
Associate Professor Edwin Oh told KTNV-TV that his team has found that the wastewater, or sewage, could be used to predict where infections of the virus were heaviest.
Working with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, they’ve been collecting samples from different neighborhoods.
Oh said it makes sense that in places where there is more of the virus, the viral load in the wastewater will be larger.
Knowing that can help health officials know where to direct their resources.
Oh said a second reason to analyze the virus is to see if it is changing.
“We fully expect it to evolve and we want to be ready,” he said.
The team at UNLV has been sharing information with others in Northern Nevada and Arizona.