Toowoomba region water to be tested for Covid-19 as part of Queensland Government’s surveillance program

Toowoomba residents’ wastewater will be tested for Covid-19 as part of the expansion of a Queensland Government program. Here’s how the testing will work.

Testing of wastewater samples for signs of Covid-19 at Sydney waters Lab in West Ryde. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The Toowoomba region’s wastewater will soon be tested for Covid-19 particles as part of the expansion to a surveillance program by the State Government.

Toowoomba is one of several local government areas added to the program, which will run until June next year.

Mayor Paul Antonio said the move was not due to any concerns around Covid-19’s presence in Toowoomba, but rather about gathering more data.

“At this point in time there is no suggestion there are any issues within our community however, Queensland Health wants to do everything it can to find out more about this virus and we’re happy to provide assistance however possible,” he said.

“To do this, council staff will take regular weekly samples so testing can be undertaken.

“Our staff will then liaise with Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences at University of Queensland to facilitate the program.”

Mr Antonio said wastewater monitoring was a vital tool for detecting Covid-19 in communities when disease transmission is too low to be identified from clinical testing.

“In other states wastewater surveillance has provided early warning of unknown cases in the community,” he said.

“This type of testing also assists health professionals understanding more about any new variants of the virus.

“To gain further knowledge, more than 50 wastewater treatment facilities in metropolitan and regional Queensland will be tested for this virus.”

For more information about the program, head to the Queensland Government website.