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Home My WebLink About09.d. Monthly Lab Update: Covid-19/Wastewater Epidemiology UpdateItem 9.d. F ebruary 22, 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, 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 C O V I D 19 and Wastewater E pidemiology Update Memo February 22, 2024 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 78 of 128 Page 1 of 7 1 February 22, 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 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 February 5, 2024), the graph below shows a steady increase from mid-October to early January and a decline at the beginning of February. Figure 1: WastewaterSCAN Data for SARS-CoV-2 as of February 5, 2024. Timeframe is April 2022-February 2024. February 22, 2024 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 79 of 128 Page 2 of 7 2 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) From the RSV data from WastewaterSCAN (as of February 5, 2024), the graph below shows a rapid increase in concentration starting at the end of October and no discernable pattern until the end of January where the concentrations appear to be declining. Figure 2: WastewaterSCAN Data for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) as of February 5, 2024. Timeframe is April 2022-February 2024. Norovirus From the Norovirus data from WastewaterSCAN (as of February 5, 2024), the graph below shows a rapid increase in concentration starting mid-November and a steep decline in mid-January with plateauing in early February. Figure 3: WastewaterSCAN Data for Norovirus as of February 5, 2024. Timeframe is December 2022-February 2024. February 22, 2024 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 80 of 128 Page 3 of 7 3 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 two samples of primary sludge per week to WastewaterSCAN, and the program is currently funded through July 2024. Verily Life Sciences, LLC was awarded the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) contract for the fourth phase of sampling. Central San is participating in two wastewater-based epidemiology programs 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 pathogens in the primary sludge matrix. 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 two 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. 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. February 22, 2024 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 81 of 128 Page 4 of 7 4 Three phases of the NWSS program have been completed, and the fourth phase began in December 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 was 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. February 22, 2024 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 82 of 128 Page 5 of 7 5 National Update COVID-19 Nationally, the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 is in a downward trend over the past 21 days. Below is the population-weighted average of the SARS-CoV-2 N gene concentrations from all participating WWSCAN sites across the country over the last 365 days. Figure 5: Graphic from WastewaterSCAN Newsletter, January 26, 2024 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): Nationally, the concentration of RSV is in a downward trend over the past 21 days. Below is the population-weighted average of the RSV RNA concentrations for all participating WWSCAN sites across the country over the last 365 days. Figure 6: Graphic from WastewaterSCAN Newsletter, January 26, 2024 February 22, 2024 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 83 of 128 Page 6 of 7 6 Norovirus Nationally, the Norovirus concentration has been steadily increasing since October, and there have been no significant trends in the last 21 days. 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, January 26, 2024. 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 its provisions. 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. February 22, 2024 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 84 of 128 Page 7 of 7