Covid-19: Survival and Transmission in Wastewater and Sludge

COVID-19 pandemic, considered a disease in the respiratory system, has taken the lives of 4.4 million, around 211 million being infected globally, transmitting the deadly COVID-19 virus through the air from a symptomatic infected person to the other. However, the magnitude of asymptomatic COVID-19 is on the rise and is potentially responsible for spreading the COVID-19 virus among different communities. Excretion of SARS-CoV-2 from the human body, whether mainly in the format of faeces and urine, but either as saliva, sputum, or even body washings, can get into wastewaters, sewage, or sludge whether the person infected is symptomatic or not. Furthermore, dumping used personal protective equipment including face masks, is another way of spreading COVID-19 which attention needs to be paid. This chapter begins with a description of the SARS-CoV-2 structure and its variants. Next, we will be discussing how COVID-19 virus will be getting into wastewater and sludge and then the mechanism of survival and transmission of this deadly virus in wastewater and sludge. This knowledge will help researchers develop formulas to uncover epidemics in advance and thereby prevent community spreading. The utility of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to monitor, manage, and control the COVID-19 infection cannot be underestimated.