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The NSW Government’s Sewerage Surveillance Program will now be extended to include the sewerage from Cootamundra’s sewage treatment plant. The program has been in place at the Gundagai sewage treatment plant for some time, and Cootamundra will join from this week.

The NSW Sewage Surveillance Program tests untreated sewage for fragments of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus at sewage treatment plant locations across NSW. Testing sewage can help track infections in the community and provide early warning of an increase in infections. These tests provide data to support NSW Health’s response to COVID-19. An infected person can shed virus in their faeces even if they do not have any symptoms, and shedding can continue for several weeks after they are no longer infectious. Fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can enter the sewage through an infected person’s faeces and when washed off hands and bodies via sinks and showers.

Samples are sent to the Governments testing laboratories and can detect fragments of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. The results are kept by NSW Health and locations where positive results are found will be notified by NSW Health. Sewerage testing results are updated daily on the NSW Health website, (see link below).

Testing has been carried out in Gundagai since early July, due to the town’s proximity to the Hume Highway and the number of positive cases that had stopped off in the town. Cootamundra has now been added to the list of testing sites, due to fragments being found in the Temora sewerage and Cootamundra’s proximity to Temora.

For more information on COVID-19, Sewerage Surveillance Testing and latest updates please visit:

COVID-19 Sewage Surveillance Program – COVID-19 (Coronavirus) (nsw.gov.au)

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