COVID-19 has not been detected in Mid Coast sewage samples, however NSW Health is currently only testing the larger sites in the region, which doesn't include Gloucester or Stroud.
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Weekly testing has been occurring at MidCoast Council's major sewage treatment plants as part of the NSW Health's COVID-19 sewage surveillance program since the start of the program in 2020. These sites only include Taree and Forster.
"We are collecting samples for testing on a weekly basis at our main treatment plants with no known positive results to date," council's director of infrastructure and engineering services Rob Scott said.
Samples are taken by council staff on Tuesdays and sent to Sydney for testing as part of the statewide program coordinated by NSW Health.
"Testing sewage can help provide early warning of an increase in infections in an area, and potentially give an estimate of undetected infections in the community. These tests provide data to support NSW Health's response to the COVID-19 pandemic," the NSW Health website states.
According to Mr Scott, Hallidays Point is expected to be added to the list after a Forster resident tested positive last week.
"Tuncurry and Nabiac drain into Hallidays Point," he said.
Mr Scott noted that NSW Health requests which sites to test and that the testing laboratories are already over capacity - hence why smaller sites aren't currently on the list.
"The sites that get tested could change at any point and we are ready to support them," Mr Scott said.
Sewage treatment staff are subject to a high level of safety during testing to protect themselves against the 20 or so other viruses that can be found in the systems, Mr Scott said
The same level of protection applies with testing for COVID.
"You can't get it from the water. It can't be transmitted through the sewage water," he said.
Further information on the program is available on the NSW Heath website at COVID-19 Sewage Surveillance Program - COVID-19 (Coronavirus) (nsw.gov.au).
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