Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network: Implementation of Statewide Monitoring for Protecting Public Health.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2023;
29:845-853. [PMID:
37738597 PMCID:
PMC10539008 DOI:
10.1097/phh.0000000000001783]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater influent monitoring for tracking disease burden in sewered communities was not performed in Ohio, and this field was only on the periphery of the state academic research community.
PROGRAM
Because of the urgency of the pandemic and extensive state-level support for this new technology to detect levels of community infection to aid in public health response, the Ohio Water Resources Center established relationships and support of various stakeholders. This enabled Ohio to develop a statewide wastewater SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) monitoring network in 2 months starting in July 2020.
IMPLEMENTATION
The current Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network (OCWMN) monitors more than 70 unique locations twice per week, and publicly available data are updated weekly on the public dashboard.
EVALUATION
This article describes the process and decisions that were made during network initiation, the network progression, and data applications, which can inform ongoing and future pandemic response and wastewater monitoring.
DISCUSSION
Overall, the OCWMN established wastewater monitoring infrastructure and provided a useful tool for public health professionals responding to the pandemic.
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