Wastewater monitoring

Back Wastewater monitoring for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the Slovak Republic – progress on 10th calendar week 2023 - RT-PCR and ddPCR analysis

Published 4/4/23

Monitoring of wastewater in the Slovak Republic for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus was launched on 02.05. 2021 (i.e. 18th calendar week) and it is performed regularly on a weekly basis in each region of the Slovak Republic. From January 2022, we gradually started the second phase of the wastewater monitoring project, where monitoring is being expanded in several districts. So far, 62 WWTPs have participated in the Slovak Republic.

The presence of virus in wastewater samples is determined by RT-PCR and digital dd-PCR. Samples are taken in cooperation with individual operators of wastewater treatment plants, regional public health authorities and investigated in the NRC at the Public Health Authority of Slovak Republic.

By the 10th calendar week 2023, a total of 3607 samples were examined by a qualitative and quantitative method, of which 3566 (98,86 %) samples were positive or with limit values.

On 10th calendar week 2023, 58 samples were examined. The presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was detected in all samples. In 38 samples (65,52 %) showed an increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies, in the other 20 samples the number of copies remained unchanged or decreased.

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On the 10th calendar week, we noticed a slight increase in quantitative tests, which express the copy number of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

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Monitoring of the viral load in wastewater in individual regions points to a slight increase in Trnava, Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Košice and Prešov region.

On the 10th calendar week, we observed a slight increase in SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy number in wastewater and the slight increase incidence.