Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and modelling COVID-19 cases by passive sampling

The thesis explores the use of passive sampling technique in wastewater for monitoring the prevalence of COVID-19 infection in communities. It establishes a relationship between viral loads in wastewater and the number of COVID-19 cases. The study demonstrates that passive sampling is sensitive enough to detect viral fragments even when case numbers are low. It provides a universal regression model for predicting case numbers based on passive loading, with potential for refinement. The research contributes valuable insights to wastewater surveillance, aiding in the management of COVID-19 outbreaks and other similar infectious diseases.