Sewage testing for Covid-19 begins in England to get early warnings of spikes in infection levels
Samples could be collected from specific points in the national network of wastewater-treatment plants
A Defra spokesperson said the government was working with scientists, water companies and the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.Environment Secretary George Eustice said:"The aim of this new research is to give us a head start on where new outbreaks are likely to occur. He told BBC News:"We would like to have confidence in saying that when we have an increase in virus numbers in the sewage from week to week, there are higher number of coronavirus cases.
"All the evidence suggests that we can potentially see a signal in wastewater before we see a spike in infections in the community," he told BBC News.
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