Pilot program to test wastewater for COVID pleases health officials

The Buffalo News, WGRZ-TV, Spectrum News andWIVB-TV quoted Erie County Health Commissioner Gale Burstein, clinical professor of pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, in stories about a pilot program in Erie County to test wastewater for presence of the virus that causes COVID-19. The program could display outbreaks in certain geographic areas served by a specific sewer district. If an area “lights up,” Burstein said it would give public health officials a chance to more quickly respond with resources, such as pop-up testing clinics and other methods to stay ahead of a potential outbreak.