Student Health detects coronavirus in wastewater

USC Student Health is conducting wastewater surveillance testing for the coronavirus at USC Housing facilities, Chief Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman said during a student media briefing Tuesday. The University has worked on the program since January and is now in the trial process following reliable results from testing. 

The wastewater testing detects the virus approximately four days before residents become symptomatic, providing time for USC Health to contact students and have them test, Van Orman said.

“We can’t say, ‘Well, we have ‘x’ value in the wastewater that means that ‘x’ number of people are infected in that building,’” Van Orman said. “What we can do, though, is say when we start to see a building that’s getting more detection than another building or when we are noticing that it’s higher than it was. So we have started sending notifications to [those] buildings.”

Student Health has sent emails to those living in housing facilities with high levels of coronavirus detection, encouraging them to get tested. According to the department, several residential colleges, including New North, Parkside Arts & Humanities, Parkside International Residential College, as well as Century Apartments, have sent residents emails notifying students of the detected coronavirus in the wastewater. 

Adam Smith, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, organized wastewater testing for the University and has also been doing sampling for Los Angeles. 

“[Wastewater surveillance testing] is a great way and, in some ways, an easier way [of detecting positivity for the coronavirus] than making students take tests once or twice a week,” Van Orman said. “What we were hoping for is that we could more readily target those areas where people needed to be testing and that’s a little bit easier for everyone.”

Van Orman said 247 community members tested positive last week, 61 of which were self-reported. Last week, USC reported 259 positive cases. 

According to Van Orman, 176 students and 15 employees are currently in isolation. Eighty-nine people occupied quarantine spaces provided by the University as of Tuesday and 141 spots remain available. 

Los Angeles County and the University are seeing consistent coronavirus numbers, with cases not exponentially increasing or declining, said Van Orman, who received the information from a recent briefing with L.A. County Department of Public Health. 

Van Orman encourages all who have recently traveled to get tested, regardless of whether they show symptoms, especially following a weekend of holidays and music festivals. 

“We do know that fewer students are testing so that may certainly mean that there are some cases going undetected,” Van Orman said. “But we are really just continuing to encourage students to make sure that they test if they are symptomatic.”

L.A. County dropped masking requirements for ride-sharing and airline transportation Tuesday. However, private businesses may still require masks. As such, USC Public Transportation will continue enforcing a mask mandate. 

Van Orman said she still recommends wearing masks on public transportation, particularly because of its high-risk in contracting and spreading the coronavirus. 

“You’re in a large, very close quarters with people you don’t know,” Van Orman said.“So, while it’s not mandated or absolutely required, I strongly, strongly recommend people to wear a mask when they’re on public transportation.”