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The coronavirus is growing faster than was feared among the inhabitants of Stockholm.
Shows new analysis of wastewater according to KTH researchers.
– The amount of virus is approaching May levels, says Professor Cecilia Williams.
Aftonbladet has previously reported that the spread of the crown is increasing again in Stockholm.
New measurements of wastewater show that the spread is not only increasing and stronger in Stockholm, it is also increasing at a dizzying rate.
After studying wastewater at three treatment plants, KTH researchers claim that the amount of coronavirus found in wastewater in the Stockholm region has doubled in recent weeks.
At the end of the month, between April and May, the highest level of virus was found in Stockholm’s sewage.
The latest tests show that levels are now approaching spring figures.
– We see clear and similar increases in results during week 39, at the end of September, then the amount of virus approaches May levels, says Cecilia Williams, KTH professor at SciLifeLab in a press release.
Photo: Tomas Oneborg / TT
New measurements in sewage show that infection in Stockholm is increasing at a dizzying rate. The image of the Bålsta treatment plant.
More comprehensive than personal tests
The sewage shows before personal tests how the concentration of the virus increases among the population. This is partly because it can detect viruses, for example, in the stool before the person begins to feel symptoms.
The researchers claim that the samples show that the increase in confirmed COVID-19 infected people in Stockholm in recent weeks is not because more people are now being tested. This is because the water reveals what it looks like in the general population, rather than just starting with the people actually being tested.
The research group has taken samples of the water every week since last spring.
You can prepare the care
According to David Nilsson, associate professor and director of KTH Vattencentrum, those working in the health sector place great hope in analysis.
– The care staff that we have had contact with at Danderyds Hospital say they are primarily interested in being able to see signs of what is to come, in being prepared for any spike in patient numbers. They want to be able to prepare care resources on time, Nilsson says in the press release.
So is it more efficient to analyze our own wastewater than to carry out mass tests at the individual level? Well, if they found out about the dispute.
– We only need to test a handful of samples per week to get information on development. Traces of the virus can disappear from the nose and throat relatively quickly, while the viruses are excreted in sewage over a longer period of time, says Professor Zeynep Cetecioglu Gurol from KTH.
At the same time, it emphasizes that many parameters remain to be analyzed.
– But we can affirm in the study that we see a very clear increase in the number of cases of covid-19 in society, which is not because they are being tested more. It is important. And we look forward to providing valuable and early information.
Photo: Tomas Oneborg / TT
Analysis of wastewater can give earlier indications of the infection situation, which can allow care to better prepare.
PODD So a vaccine can be ready
Aftonbladet Daily speaks with coordinator Richard Bergström.
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