Rachel Poretsky News Today

Passengers at four major U.S. airports will now be tested for over 30 pathogens through a mix of wastewater testing and voluntary nasal swabs.

COVID-19, mpox and many other pathogens are detectable in wastewater, but public health officials are still figuring out how best to use those data.

Crain's Health Pulse is your source for actionable, exclusive and inside news on the health care industry.

As new coronavirus variants dominate COVID-19 cases in Chicago, researchers said they were able to detect the presence of the omicron BA.2 subvariant two weeks before it showed up in an individual clinical COVID test by using tampons planted in sewers around the city.

Beyond covering menstrual needs, tampons have been famously used to stop nosebleeds and dress emergency wounds. Now, they are being used to test sewage for COVID-19.

The pandemic brought renewed attention to the value of wastewater monitoring for tracking pathogens and mitigating disease.

Loss of federal funding has led to COVID-19 testing site closures throughout Illinois, and the nation. Milder symptoms for those who are vaccinated and increased use of at-home rapid tests, which people rarely report to health authorities, means accurate COVID-19 data is increasingly hard to come by. 

Fewer than half of Illinois’ 102 counties are participating in a statewide program that monitors the virus that causes COVID-19 and its variants in wastewater. But state health officials say the participating 68 wastewater treatment plants in 48 counties covers more than 80% of Illinois’ population.

Scientists are analyzing gallons of wastewater from all over Illinois each week as part of the latest effort in combating the spread of COVID-19.

CHICAGO, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shield T3 and the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) today announced a new service to state and local governments outside of Illinois: Testing COVID-19 and