Delta variant detected in Western Cape wastewater

The variant was detected by researchers from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). 

The City of Cape Town is one of the areas were the variant is most prominent. 

Researchers found the variant to be dominant in towns including Breede Valley, Theewaterskloof as well as in 19 wastewater treatment plants in the Cape Town Metropole. 

"Scientists from the South African Medical Research Council have detected the presence of the highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in wastewater from several towns in the Western Cape, as well as the City of Cape Town, using their wastewater-based early warning system for Covid-19," says the SAMRC's Dr Rabia Johnson. 

"Wastewater-based surveillance for detecting SARS-CoV-2 has been carried out in a number of countries, and a good correlation has been found between viral load in wastewater and subsequent COVID-19 cases." 

The council's Wastewater Surveillance & Research Programme also revealed that the variant is prevalent in wastewater.

"Wastewater-based surveillance for detecting SARS-CoV-2 has been carried out in a number of countries, and a good correlation has been found between viral load in wastewater and subsequent Covid-19 cases..

"The team of scientists also highlighted that although it is not yet known whether heavily trafficked routes play a role in Covid-19 transmission, several of the towns where the Delta variant has been found fall along one of the biggest national roads in the country." 

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