CODY, Wyo. (AP) - Officials in Wyoming plan to use wastewater testing as a potential method for detecting levels of COVID-19 infections among the public.
The city of Cody and Park County expect to begin operating a machine that uses wastewater-based epidemiology to test for the coronavirus, The Cody Enterprise reported Wednesday.
The Teledyne ISCO 6712C Compact Portable Sampler will be used at a wastewater treatment plant in the coming months, officials said.
The city recently spent $9,544 to purchase the sampler.
Phillip Bowman, Cody public works director, said the 5-gallon (19-liter) device resembling a bucket will take readings from human waste funneling down from Cody’s toilets.
The readings are expected to measure the presence of the virus in parts-per-million quantities and will be compared with the population of Cody to determine an estimate of the virus’s presence, said Bill Crampton, a Park County Public Health nurse.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
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