Wastewater monitoring being used to track India variant, says Hancock

Health secretary says sewage testing has helped identify places where vaccinations and testing are being stepped up

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Wastewater monitoring is being used to identify cases of the India variant and track its spread, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said.

Although coronavirus predominantly infects cells lining the respiratory tract, it is also shed in the faeces of some infected individuals. By collecting sewage samples from wastewater treatment plants, scientists can use PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) machines to detect and quantify the amount of RNA from Sars-CoV-2 in different areas - including new variants, such as the B.1.617.2 variant first detected in India, which is now spreading across the UK.