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Abstract
Persons living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. We used wastewater surveillance to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in this setting by collecting and testing 24-hour compos- ite wastewater samples 2–4 times weekly at 6 LTCFs in Kentucky, USA, during March 2021–February 2022. The LTCFs routinely tested staff and symptomatic and exposed residents for SARS-CoV-2 using rapid antigen tests. Of 780 wastewater samples analyzed, 22% (n = 173) had detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The LTCFs reported 161 positive (of 16,905) SARS-CoV-2 clinical tests. The wastewater SARS-CoV-2 signal showed vari- able correlation with clinical test data; we observed the strongest correlations in the LTCFs with the most posi- tive clinical tests (n = 45 and n = 58). Wastewater surveil- lance was 48% sensitive and 80% specific in identifying SARS-CoV-2 infections found on clinical testing, which was limited by frequency, coverage, and rapid antigen test performance.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2024
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3003.230888
Funding Information
This work was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (contract BAA 75D301-20-R-68024).
Repository Citation
Keck, James W.; Adatorwovor, Reuben; Liversedge, Matthew; Mijotavich, Blazan; Olsson, Cullen; Strike, William D.; Amirsoleimani, Atena; Noble, Ann; Torabi, Soroosh; Rockward, Alexus Lori; Banadaki, Mohammad Dehghan; Smith, Ted; Lacy, Parker; and Berry, Scott M., "Wastewater Surveillance for Identifying SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities, Kentucky, USA, 2021–2022" (2024). UK CARES Faculty Publications. 17.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/ukcares_facpub/17
