Using Wastewater Surveillance Data to Support the COVID-19 Response — United States, 2020–2021

Abstract

What is already known about this topic? Wastewater surveillance measures community infection trends. The accuracy of this surveillance approach is independent of health care-seeking behavior, health care access, or testing capacity. The National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) is a 43-jurisdiction, CDC-coordinated system for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. What is added by this report? Wastewater surveillance data have been used to deploy clinical testing resources, investigate possible irregularities in traditional surveillance, refine health messaging, and forecast clinical resource needs. What are the implications for public health practice? NWSS provides community-level surveillance data that complement traditional surveillance and facilitate earlier, focused health department intervention and support in communities experiencing increasing trends in wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations. Community-level wastewater surveillance data can be leveraged for rapid assessment of emerging threats and preparedness for future pandemics.