Presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater in the Kingdom of Bahrain
during the COVID-19 pandemic
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.