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Presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater in the Kingdom of Bahrain during the COVID-19 pandemic
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  • Afaf Mohamed,
  • Ebrahim Matar,
  • Hasan Isa,
  • Ahmed Moosa,
  • Wafa Hasan,
  • Adel AlSayyad,
  • Amjad Mohamed,
  • Maryam Sanad,
  • Maryam Alhajeri,
  • Najat Abulfateh,
  • Qassim Aloraibi
Afaf Mohamed
Kingdom of Bahrain Ministry of Health

Corresponding Author:afafmirza@gmail.com

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Ebrahim Matar
Eastern Health Cluster
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Hasan Isa
Salmaniya Medical Complex
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Ahmed Moosa
Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine
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Wafa Hasan
Kingdom of Bahrain Ministry of Health
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Adel AlSayyad
Kingdom of Bahrain Ministry of Health
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Amjad Mohamed
Kingdom of Bahrain Ministry of Health
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Maryam Sanad
Kingdom of Bahrain Ministry of Health
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Maryam Alhajeri
Kingdom of Bahrain Ministry of Health
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Najat Abulfateh
Almalaki hospital
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Qassim Aloraibi
Bahrain Ministry of Works Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Agriculture and Marine Resources Affairs
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Abstract

Background: Several countries, including Bahrain, used Wastewater surveillance for disease activity monitoring. This study aimed to determine the presence of SARS-COV-2 in untreated wastewater and to correlate it with the disease spread. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted for all wastewater samples tested for SARS-CoV-2 in public health laboratories from October 2020 to October 2022. Samples were collected weekly between February and October 2022 from different areas across Bahrain. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, and the results were correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases in the same area. Results: Of a total of 387 wastewater samples, 103 (26.6%) samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. In late 2020, of 42 samples collected initially, 4 (9.5%) samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the 4 locations that hosted COVID-19 isolation facilities. Between February and October 2022, 345 specimens of wastewater were tested, and 99 (28.7%) were positive. The highest detection rate was in February, June, and July (60%, 45%, and 43%, respectively), which corresponded to COVID-19 peaks during 2022, and the lowest detection rate was in August and September (11% and 0%, respectively), corresponding to the low number of COVID-19 cases. Conclusion: The detection rate of SARS-COV-2 in wastewater samples from Bahrain was high and was significantly correlated with the number of reported COVID-19 cases. Wastewater surveillance can aid the existing surveillance system in monitoring SARS-CoV-2 spread.
10 May 2023Submitted to Influenza and other respiratory viruses
11 May 2023Submission Checks Completed
11 May 2023Assigned to Editor
22 Jun 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
07 Jul 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
23 Jul 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major
06 Aug 20231st Revision Received
08 Aug 2023Submission Checks Completed
08 Aug 2023Assigned to Editor
09 Aug 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Aug 2023Editorial Decision: Accept