Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is wastewater?
What is wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2?

What are the benefits of wastewater surveillance for COVID-19?


How do you measure COVID-19 trends using wastewater surveillance?


What is a ‘sewershed’?


Why report COVID-19 infection/trends occurring in the sewershed?


Where is wastewater surveillance happening in Virginia? Is my city participating in the Virginia Sentinel Monitoring Program?


How is wastewater data being used to support the COVID-19 response?


What happens if wastewater surveillance shows an increase in COVID-19?


What do the “Viral Copies per Day” units mean in the figure and why do you use that as your measurement?


Can you compare viral loads across different monitoring sites in Virginia?


Are there any limitations of wastewater surveillance?


Are there any potential long-term benefits of wastewater surveillance?


What is suppression and why use it?


Where else is wastewater surveillance happening?


Can I get wastewater surveillance in my neighborhood?


How often is the wastewater surveillance dashboard updated?


How long will the wastewater surveillance dashboard stay up?


Can I contract COVID-19 from my drinking water?


If you can measure COVID-19 in wastewater, does that mean it’s in our waterways? Can I contract COVID-19 by swimming in a river?


Is collecting sewer water dangerous?


What does it mean if the viral loads are increasing?


What does it mean if the viral loads are decreasing?


Why does it say that the data is “subject to change”?

Why aren't we getting our results from Biobot anymore?

Are Biobot Testing and Department of Health Testing the same and comparable?

Last Updated: June 13, 2023