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Home My WebLink About07.c. Receive Monthly Lab COVID-19 Wastewater Epidemiology updateItem 7.c. J anuary 18, 2024 T O: HO NO R A B L E B O A R D O F D I R E C TO R S F RO M :B L A K E B R O W N, P R O V I S I O NA L L A B O R ATO RY P R O G R A M A D MI NI S T R ATO R RE V IE WE D B Y:L O R I S C HE C T E L , E NV I R O NME NTA L & R E G UL ATO RY C O MP L I A NC E D I V I S I O N MA NA G E R G R E G NO R B Y, D E P UT Y G E NE R A L MA NA G E R - O P E R AT I O NS R O G E R S. B A I L E Y, G E NE R A L MA NA G E R S UB J E C T: MO NT HLY L A B UP D AT E: C O V I D -19/W A S T E W AT E R E P I D E MI O L O G Y UP D AT E Staf f has provided the Wastewater Based E pidemiology Update as Attachment 1 and will be available to answer questions. Strategic Plan Tie-I n G O A L FO U R : G overnance and Fiscal R esponsibility Strategy 1 - Promote and uphold ethical behavior, openness, and accessibility G O A L FI VE: Safety and Security Strategy 1 - Reduce and eliminate risks of injury or illness, Strategy 2 - Protect personnel and assets from threats and emergencies AT TAC HM E NT S : D escription 1. Monthly Wastewater Epidemiology Update Memo January 18, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 51 of 84 Page 1 of 8 1 January 18, 2024 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 Contra Costa Sanitary District (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 of 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 January 3, 2024), the graph below shows a steady increase from mid-October to early January. Figure 1: WastewaterSCAN Data for SARS-CoV-2 as of January 3, 2024. Timeframe is April 2022-January 2024. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) From the RSV data from WastewaterSCAN (as of January 3, 2024), the graph below shows a rapid increase in concentration starting at the end of October; however, there does not appear to be a trend in the last 21 days. 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. January 18, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 52 of 84 Page 2 of 8 2 Figure 2: WastewaterSCAN Data for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) as of January 3, 2024. Timeframe is April 2022-January 2024. Norovirus From the Norovirus data from WastewaterSCAN (as of January 3, 2024), the graph below shows a rapid increase in concentration starting mid-November. Norovirus concentrations are similar to those seen in March 2023. Figure 3: WastewaterSCAN Data for Norovirus as of January 3, 2024. Timeframe is December 2022-January 2024. January 18, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 53 of 84 Page 3 of 8 3 Influenza A From the Influenza A data from WastewaterSCAN (as of January 3, 2024), the graph below shows a relatively steady low concentration from March 2023 to the present. Figure 4: WastewaterSCAN Data for Influenza A as of January 3, 2024. Timeframe is April 2022-January 2024. 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. January 18, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 54 of 84 Page 4 of 8 4 Data can be found here: https://data.wastewaterscan.org/?plantId=57573845-4bdb-4cfe-8fc2- 986d5af188cc&charts=Ci8QACABSABaBk4gR2VuZXIKMjAyMy0wNy0xMHIKMjAyMy0 wOC0yMYoBBmIzMWQ2Zg%3D%3D&selectedChartId=b31d6f 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 of 2023, CDPH and WastewaterSCAN reached out to Central San and Delta Diablo about collaborating on a validation study of the MPOX detections. Central San agreed to send split raw influent samples to both labs as part of the validation. 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 can 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 occurred 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 January 18, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 55 of 84 Page 5 of 8 5 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. National Update COVID-19 Nationally, the SARS-CoV-2 concentrations have been steadily increasing since November. Below is the population-weighted average for all participating WWSCAN sites across the country over the last 365 days. Figure 5: Graphic from WastewaterSCAN Newsletter, December 20, 2023 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): Nationally, the RSV concentrations are on a continued three-month increase. The median concentration across all sites for the first 21 days of December was 62% higher than the median concentration in November. Below is the population-weighted average for all participating WWSCAN sites across the country over the last 365 days. January 18, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 56 of 84 Page 6 of 8 6 Figure 6: Graphic from WastewaterSCAN Newsletter, December 20, 2023 Norovirus Nationally, the Norovirus concentrations have been steadily increasing since October. Below is the population-weighted average for all participating WWSCAN sites across the country over the last 365 days. Figure 7: Graphic from WastewaterSCAN Newsletter, December 20, 2023 January 18, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 57 of 84 Page 7 of 8 7 Influenza A Nationally, the Influenza A concentrations are low in comparison to December of 2022. Below is the population-weighted average for all participating WWSCAN sites across the country over the last 365 days. Figure 8: Graphic from WastewaterSCAN Newsletter, December 20, 2023 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. January 18, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 58 of 84 Page 8 of 8