Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 associated with wastewater treatment: a seroprevalence study

ABSTRACT

The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during wastewater treatment leads to concerns about whether this process may represent a focal point for the transmission of COVID-19. An epidemiological analysis, based on a COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette, performed on 134 wastewater workers from 59 wastewater treatment plants from the province of Granada (Spain) showed a seroprevalence of 8.95% in IgG for SARS-CoV-2, which is similar to the incidence rate found for the general population of the province (9.6%; 95%CI = 7.2–12.8). These findings suggest that current safety measures are sufficient for the protection of workers against SARS-CoV-2.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• wastewater treatment
• seroprevalence
• biosafety
• Spain

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Diputación Provincial de Granada, Aqualia and Aguas y Servicios de la Costa Tropical de Granada for providing information and for their support in the coordination of the serological study. The authors thank Nutraceutical Translations for the English language editing of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced this study.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Notes

1. See https://www.mscbs.gob.es/gabinetePrensa/notaPrensa/pdf/15.12151220163348113.pdf.

2. See https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/coronavirus-response/public-health/coronavirus-vaccines-strategy_en.

3. See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-care-home-and-healthcare-settings-posters/covid-19-vaccination-first-phase-priority-groups.

4. See https://www.health.gov.au/resources/videos/covid-19-vaccines-priority-rollout-animation.

5. See https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/guidance-prioritization-initial-doses-covid-19-vaccines.html.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad, Junta de Andalucía [grant number CV20-01559]; and was funded by the Andalusian Regional Government and the European Union under the research project CV20-01559.