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Home My WebLink About14. Monthly Lab Update: Covid-19/Wastewater Epidemiology Update Page 1 of 6 Item 13.b. CENTRALSAN Jdf A- hom CENTRAL CONTRA COSTA SANITARY DISTRICT December 21, 2023 TO: HONORABLE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FROM: BLAKE BROWN, PROVISIONAL LABORATORY PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR REVIEWED BY: LORI SCHECTEL, ENVIRONMENTAL & REGULATORY COMPLIANCE DIVISION MANAGER GREG NORBY, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER - OPERATIONS ROGER S. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER SUBJECT: MONTHLYLAB UPDATE: COVID-19/WASTEWATER EPIDEMIOLOGY UPDATE Staff has provided the Wastewater Based Epidemiology Update as Attachment 1 and will be available to answer questions. Strategic Plan re-In GOAL FOUR: Governance and Fiscal Responsibility Strategy 1 - Promote and uphold ethical behavior, openness, and accessibility GOAL FIVE: Safety and Security Strategy 1 - Reduce and eliminate risks of injury or illness, Strategy 2- Protect personnel and assets from threats and emergencies ATTACHMENTS: 1. Monthly COVI D-19 & Wastewater Epidemiology Update December 21, 2023 December 21, 2023 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 430 of 461 Page 2 of 6 December 21, 2023 Wastewater Based Epidemiology Memo Update Context & Background Prior to the start of the coronavirus pandemic, there was little infrastructure to support a global, national, or regional epidemiological surveillance program. Since 2020, Central San has participated in local and national efforts to advance wastewater surveillance as a reputable source of information. There is now a mature program for the trending and monitoring seasonal and emerging respiratory pathogens and the ability to mobilize if there is a threat of an outbreak pathogen. This monthly memo will provide an update on Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) on the local and national scale and Central San's COVID-19 Exposure Prevention Plan. Central San Surveillance Data & Summary COVID-19 From the SARS-CoV-2 Data for Central San's service area from WastewaterSCAN (as of December 8, 2023), the graph below shows a steady increase from mid-October to early December. 900 Soo ?2 300 c m $ E z 400 cn a 300 200 )Do Apr JU Oct 2023 Zr .hit Oct WastewaterSCAN Data for SARS-CoV-2 as of December 8,2023. Timeframe is April 2022-December 2023. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) From the RSV data from WastewaterSCAN (as of December 8, 2023), the graph below shows a rapid increase in concentration starting at the end of October. RSV wastewater concentrations continue to show increasing trends in the greater Bay Area. In 2022, we saw RSV onset in wastewater occur as early as mid-to-late September in the Bay Area. 1 December 21, 2023 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 431 of 461 Page 3 of 6 120 r1v 100 0 90 v. m_ so Zj d )0 Z= 50 o � z 50 �> 4❑ C'J� 30 20 10 Apr Jul On 2023 AFW Jtti Oct WastewaterSCAN Data for Respiratory Syncytial Virus(RSV)as of December 8,2023. Timeframe is April 2022-December 2023. Central San's Wastewater Based Epidemiology Partnership Updates Central San is currently providing samples for three programs contributing to the wastewater surveillance system. The three partners are WastewaterSCAN, California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS). Below is an update on each of the programs. WastewaterSCAN (Verily Life Sciences, LLC) Central San sends three samples of primary sludge per week to WastewaterSCAN, and the program is currently funded through July 2024. WastewaterSCAN added five new pathogens in September. The new pathogens are Enterovirus D 68, Human Adenovirus Group F, Rotavirus, Candia auris, and Hepatitis A. Verily Life Sciences, LLC was awarded the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) contract for the fourth phase of sampling and will begin sending sample kits in the coming weeks. Central San will be participating in two programs in parallel with Verily. As part of the NWSS program, Verily will analyze for pathogens in the wastewater matrix to align with the prior program data. For the WastewaterSCAN program, Verily will continue to analyze for pathogens in the primary sludge matrix. Data can be found here: https://data.wastewaterscan.orq/?plantld=57573845-4bdb-4cfe-8fc2- 986d5af188cc&charts=Ci8QACABSABaBk4gR2VuZXl KMiAyMyOwNyOxM H I KMiAyMyO wOCOyMYoBBmlzMWQ2Zg%3D❑/o3D&selectedChartld=b31 d6f California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) Drinking Water and Radiation Lab (DWRL) Central San sends three samples per week of raw influent to the California Department of Public Health's Drinking Water and Radiation Lab (DWRL), and the program is funded through July 2025. In late August, CDPH and WastewaterSCAN reached out to 2 December 21, 2023 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 432 of 461 Page 4 of 6 Central San and Delta Diablo about collaborating on a validation study of the MPDX detections. As part of the validation, Central San agreed to send split raw influent samples to both labs. The split influent samples were in addition to the three primary sludge samples per week sent to WastewaterSCAN. After reviewing the data for the six weeks of sampling that ended on October 21, CDPH and WastewaterSCAN requested an extension of the project for another six weeks, and Central San agreed to participate. The results of the study will be shared with Central San after the project is completed. COVID-19 Data from CDPH be found here: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/CalSuWers- Dashboard.aspx National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) in September 2020. CDC developed NWSS to coordinate and build the nation's capacity to track the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wastewater samples collected across the country. Three phases of the NWSS program have been completed, and the fourth phase was originally planned to begin in October 2023. Phase One took place in January and February of 2021, assessed up to 100 treatment plants representing -10% of the US population, and was contracted through AquaVitas, LLC to perform the sample analysis and data reduction. Phase Two took place from June to August of 2021, assessed 340 treatment plants representing -30% of the US population, and was contracted through Biobot Analytics, Inc. Phase Three was initially planned to take place from December 2021 to December 2022 but was extended to September 14, 2023. Phase Three assessed -500 treatment plants and was performed through Biobot Analytics, Inc. On September 26, 2023, the Phase Four contract was awarded to Verily Life Sciences, LLC. On October 16, 2023, Biobot Analytics, Inc. protested the Verily commercial testing contract. The new contract was on hold until the protest was reviewed by the Government Accountability Office and dismissed on November 16, 2023. As of December 1, 2023, Central San will resume sampling until September 14, 2025, with extension options on a month-to-month basis thereafter until September 14, 2028. Unlike the other WastewaterSCAN program that Central San is currently participating in, the NWSS program sampling will be raw influent. Data can be found here: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#wastewater- surveillance. 3 December 21, 2023 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 433 of 461 Page 5 of 6 National Update COVID-19 Nationally, the SARS-CoV-2 concentrations are increasing after a brief decrease. Below are the concentrations from all participating WWSCAN sites across the country; raw data are shown as blue dots, and the population-weighted average is shown as a bold black line. x 700 �� •• i .��e i 100 ' 0 Dac 2023 Feb MW Apr may Jun Jul Akq Sr.P [x[ Nov Collect a Date • sen+ple couecl•e O roan-en.i All$-la cted Lv tion fAWrpgjpJ Graphic from WastewaterSCAN Newsletter,November 22,2023 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): Nationally, the RSV concentrations are on a continued three-month increase, concentrations are near the peak concentrations seen in late 2022. Below are the concentrations from all participating WWSCAN sites across the country; raw data are shown as purple dots, and the population-weighted average is shown as a bold black line. Nationwid¢WWSCAN $ri t2a s: I�espirato ry sync ytial virus 40 C ~ r 1 r -f r • rr • a 4-c 2023 f� n.i• .i .+ • .fain Jal Aug .mop pre Nov 4=alloollon DmW - tompla toll-ctacl O ryon- a-cx Graphic from WastewaterSCAN Newsletter,November 22,2023 4 December 21, 2023 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 434 of 461 Page 6 of 6 Central San COVID-19 Exposure Prevention Plan Central San's COVID-19 Exposure Prevention Plan, last revised in early 2022, is still in effect, and all District employees are still subject to the provisions set forth in the table below. Central San still conducts contact tracing based on whether other employees had close contact (6 feet or less) or shared air space (400,000 cubic feet) with the positive employee. At this time, those employees who have had close contact are required to quarantine and test, and those who have shared the same air space can continue to work onsite as long as they test and wear a mask. In some cases, employees who may have had close contact with the positive employee but whose absence may result in an adverse operational impact may continue to work onsite as long as they receive approval from Human Resources, continue to remain asymptomatic, test, and wear a mask. 5 December 21, 2023 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 435 of 461