LANSING, Mich. — The state health department has launched a new online dashboard that displays monitoring data of COVID-19 in wastewater.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) says the data comes from the Sentinel Wastewater Epidemiology Evaluation Project (SWEEP), which analyzes wastewater data collected from monitoring sites throughout the state.
We’re told the purpose of collecting and analyzing wastewater for COVID-19 is to track the virus and offer early detection before residents are infected.
“The SWEEP data provides an in-depth overview of wastewater monitoring efforts at regional and statewide levels,” says MDHHS Senior Deputy Director Dr. Alexis Travis. “Interpretation of the data provided on the dashboard helps to quickly and easily identify patterns in SARS-CoV-2 levels, track trends and monitor distribution of the virus in wastewater across the state.”
Click here to view the dashboard.
“Over time, data from these wastewater treatment plants can be compared to other sampling sites and COVID-19 case data within the same region,” adds Travis.