Follow up wastewater testing again shows ‘strong’ COVID-19 traces in Adelaide

Further testing has shown a second ‘strong’ result for levels of COVID-19 within one major city’s wastewater, after an alert over the weekend.

Testing has shown a second strong result for levels of COVID-19 traces within Adelaide’s wastewater.

After the “strong positive” was detected in sewer water over the weekend, follow up testing has been conducted, which showed another strong positive result on Monday night.

“At this stage, there is as yet no clear explanation to the wastewater detection result,” a spokesman for SA Health said in a statement.

“It’s imperative that anyone who has been in the Adelaide CBD in the past week seek immediate testing if they have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild.”

News of the positive detection from the catchment — which covers the northern part of the city and services more than 12,000 people — was announced on Sunday.

Authorities have since been working to determine the circumstances surrounding the result, to see if it was from an old case or if the virus was again circulating in the community.

Wastewater testing has again shown “strong” positive results of COVID-19 in the Bolivar and B11 catchments. Picture: Supplied

SA Health deputy chief public health officer Emily Kirkpatrick said the state had not seen a result as strong since the Parafield cluster — which threw the state into a three day lockdown late last year.

The viral fragments were detected at the Bolivar and Adelaide CBD north (B11) catchments where a number of the state’s medi-hotels — not including the dedicated facility for positive patients — are located.

Dr Kirkpatrick said the positive result could come from a returned traveller who tested negative but was shedding the virus.

But she said authorities were “still alarmed” and asked for the community to remain alert.

It comes as the state recorded two new infections on Tuesday, both returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

“We know that these (two) individuals arrived after that repeat sample was taken so it is unlikely that the most recent sample does have those two individuals included,” Dr Kirkpatrick said.

“However, prior to that, we have had individuals with COVID-19 who we know can shed the virus for up to three months.

“We feel confident the systems we put in place post the Parafield cluster are working and it's a matter of stepping through all possible scenarios as to why we’re seeing this positive wastewater detection still remaining within our sewerage.”

The strong virus level was detected in the B11 catchment, an area where a number of medi-hotels are located. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

But, Tom's Court hotel — which is the state’s dedicated COVID patient facility — is not covered under that catchment area. Picture: Dean Martin

Dr Kirkpatrick said authorities were inquiring about recent COVID-19 positive cases from other jurisdictions so they can check cross-border travel data to see if any recently cleared people travelled into SA.

She again stressed the importance of testing as well as adhering to social distancing and hand hygiene requirements.

Premier Steven Marshall said it was “concerning” knowing the virus was in the wastewater but said there were some plausible explanations.

“We’re going to be monitoring it very, very carefully,” he said.

There are now five active cases in the state.