Covid detection system for Ireland's wastewater

Dr John Cuddihy, director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said monitoring wastewater for evidence of Covid-19 is an internationally recognised tool in many governments’ efforts to assess the rate of infection across the population, both as a whole and within individual communities. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

An "early warning system" for Covid-19 outbreaks is to begin in early May when a new national programme begins to check for the virus in Ireland's wastewater.

The Wastewater Surveillance Programme will measure the level of Covid-19 in 68 wastewater catchment areas across the country to monitor the prevalence of Covid-19 in communities.