The new Covid-19 restrictions have been in force for a week. The presence of the virus in our waste waters is one of many factors used by the government to guide these decisions.
Unlike the PCR tests, these analyses give a general overview of the infection rate in the country, as every resident takes part, so to speak. The results are also a few days ahead of the PCR tests. So what do they tell us about the current situation?
Samples from all 13 treatment plants are taken up to three times a week and tested at the LIST in Belvaux for traces of the Sars-Cov-2 virus. The numbers on Tuesday were slightly higher, but Henry-Michel Cauchie from the lab did not consider this particularly worrying. Some variations are inevitable when testing samples, he says.
Real upwards or downwards trends can only be detected over several weeks. Since the peak at the end of October, there has been a downward trend, but levels remain high.
At this point, researchers are unable to determine the exact number of infected people from the concentration of the virus in the water. They do hope to get there one day, however.
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The tests are only 2-3 days ahead of the PCR tests from large scale testing, as the virus is only detectable in stool samples once symptoms show, and not during the incubation period.
This means that it is too early to say whether the new restrictions are showing an effect. We should know more over the coming week.
