University College Dublin, in common with many other research groups across Europe, is conducting research to detect fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater and to use this information as an indicator of the approximate infection rates in a population. Irish Water is facilitating waste water sample collection from three waste water treatment plants for this project. The Government is funding the project through the Science Foundation Ireland COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding award. The project team is providing reports to NPHET, the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, to Irish Water and to the Department of Health.
A Phase II Science Foundation Ireland COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding award based on this work was recently awarded representing a collaboration between University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and Queens University Belfast, to extend the project to Northern Ireland.