National COVID-19 Wastewater Epidemiology Surveillance Programme
Lead Research Organisation:
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Department Name: Pollution (Wallingford)
Abstract
Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) requires relatively few resources compared to the systematic testing of populations. WBE is especially promising for novel infectious diseases, where asymptomatic cases might play a significant role in transmitting the virus. However, WBE is only now being used to monitor the spread of a pandemic infectious disease.
Early studies by ourselves and others have shown that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be recovered from wastewater, including from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) preceding local COVID-19 hospitalisation activity. Given the challenge of making available diagnostic tests to the entire UK population, WBE represents a potentially low-cost and immediate mechanism for understanding levels of infection within large geographic areas.
N-WESP aims to compare our methods with those of European & North American WBE teams in an inter-lab trial for understanding, supporting and improving the DEFRA COVID-19 measurements which will feed into the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC). We will also compare methods with DEFRA, the EA's and JBC whilst they explore options for finer geographical measurements. N-WESP will empower public health authorities with an optimised surveillance tool with maximal sensitivity and predictive power whose uncertainties have been well characterised.
N-WESP will determine whether SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and sludge is infectious, and to what extent there might be downstream risks to human health. N-WESP will exploit catchment and, uniquely, sub-catchment-scale longitudinal surveillance to understand temporal and spatial heterogeneity, relationships to human disease burden distribution and whether there is potential outbreak 'hotspots' by surveilling sewer system nodes.
Early studies by ourselves and others have shown that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be recovered from wastewater, including from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) preceding local COVID-19 hospitalisation activity. Given the challenge of making available diagnostic tests to the entire UK population, WBE represents a potentially low-cost and immediate mechanism for understanding levels of infection within large geographic areas.
N-WESP aims to compare our methods with those of European & North American WBE teams in an inter-lab trial for understanding, supporting and improving the DEFRA COVID-19 measurements which will feed into the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC). We will also compare methods with DEFRA, the EA's and JBC whilst they explore options for finer geographical measurements. N-WESP will empower public health authorities with an optimised surveillance tool with maximal sensitivity and predictive power whose uncertainties have been well characterised.
N-WESP will determine whether SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and sludge is infectious, and to what extent there might be downstream risks to human health. N-WESP will exploit catchment and, uniquely, sub-catchment-scale longitudinal surveillance to understand temporal and spatial heterogeneity, relationships to human disease burden distribution and whether there is potential outbreak 'hotspots' by surveilling sewer system nodes.
Organisations
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Lead Research Organisation)
- Bio Data Networks (Collaboration)
- UNITED UTILITIES GROUP PLC (Collaboration)
- United Utilities (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Project Partner)
- YTL (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Northumbrian Water Group plc (Project Partner)
- Public Health Wales (Project Partner)
- University of Cambridge (Project Partner)
- National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (Project Partner)
- Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Health Protection Scotland (Project Partner)
- Kelda Group (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Environment Agency (Project Partner)
- Public Health England (Project Partner)
- Scottish Water (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Project Partner)
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Project Partner)
Publications
Horsburgh G
(2021)
Sub-ARTIC Illumina SARS-CoV-2 Spike sequencing protocol (LoCost) V3.2 v1
J Parsons P
(2021)
SubARTIC ONT SARS-CoV-2 Spike sequencing protocol (LoCost) V3.2 v1
Kwiatkowska R
(2021)
Wastewater-based epidemiology and group privacy: the elephant in the sewer?
Hoffmann T
(2022)
Wastewater catchment areas in Great Britain
Farkas K
(2020)
Viral indicators for tracking domestic wastewater contamination in the aquatic environment.
in Water research
Adriaenssens E
(2021)
Tracing the fate of wastewater viruses reveals catchment-scale virome diversity and connectivity
in Water Research
Polo D
(2020)
Making waves: Wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19 - approaches and challenges for surveillance and prediction.
in Water research
Brunner FS
(2022)
City-wide wastewater genomic surveillance through the successive emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants.
in Water research
Hillary LS
(2021)
Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater to evaluate the success of lockdown measures for controlling COVID-19 in the UK.
in Water research
Mao K
(2021)
Paper-based nanosensors to evaluate community-wide illicit drug use for wastewater-based epidemiology.
in Water research
Wilde H
(2022)
Accounting for Dilution of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater Samples Using Physico-Chemical Markers
in Water
Mao K
(2020)
Nanomaterial-based aptamer sensors for analysis of illicit drugs and evaluation of drugs consumption for wastewater-based epidemiology.
in Trends in analytical chemistry : TRAC
Ou Y
(2021)
Droplet microfluidics on analysis of pathogenic microbes for wastewater-based epidemiology
in TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry
Kevill JL
(2022)
A comparison of precipitation and filtration-based SARS-CoV-2 recovery methods and the influence of temperature, turbidity, and surfactant load in urban wastewater.
in The Science of the total environment
Jones DL
(2020)
Shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in feces and urine and its potential role in person-to-person transmission and the environment-based spread of COVID-19.
in The Science of the total environment
Jones DL
(2023)
Suitability of aircraft wastewater for pathogen detection and public health surveillance.
in The Science of the total environment
Fraser A
(2023)
A high-resolution melt curve toolkit to identify lineage-defining SARS-CoV-2 mutations
in Scientific Reports
Kevill J
(2022)
Assessment of two types of passive sampler for the efficient recovery of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses from wastewater
in Science of The Total Environment
Hassoun-Kheir N
(2021)
EMBRACE-WATERS statement: Recommendations for reporting of studies on antimicrobial resistance in wastewater and related aquatic environments
in One Health
Hassoun-Kheir N
(2021)
EMBRACE-WATERS statement: Recommendations for reporting of studies on antimicrobial resistance in wastewater and related aquatic environments
in One Health
| Description | Wastewater contains coronavirus that can be quantified using molecular approaches, such as qPCR. At present it is not apparent that SARS-CoV-2 remains infectious in wastewater. This question remains an open question that is being investigated using a range of methods. Efforts are on-going to link up wastewater estimates of viral load with cases of COVID-19 in the catchment. In many cases these linkages have been successful, however, there are numerous catchments where this linkage has proven to be a significant challenge. On-going work aims to understand what attributes of a WWTP catchment allow for better correlations between viral load and cases. Similarly, what attributes of a WWTP catchment reliably contribute to poor correlations. On-going work aims to understand the factors that impact the survival of viral RNA in sewage. Early evidence suggests the following negatively impact on RNA recovery: industry with surfactant/detergent discharges or effluent with high/low pH. Pumps within the network can expose the viral RNA leading to loss. Longer transit times are likely to reduce survival. Many members of NWESP are active engaged in the national WBE surveillance programmes (Wales, Scotland and England), where advice on sampling, storage, analysis and modelling is provided. |
| Exploitation Route | The expertise build within the NWESP project is being used to help inform a permanent WBE capacity within the government. |
| Sectors | Environment,Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | NWESP has been directly feeding into governments' national wastewater-based epidemiology programmes and have delivered a report to SAGE. The knowledge and expertise developed within NWESP has facilitated expansion of WBE into school, prison and care home wastewater. Wider application of the approach for health surveillance is on-going and will help to inform the future capability within government for health surveillance. Many members of the NWESP team have since joined to submit a Program Grant on WBE as a direct result of our collaborative efforts on NWESP and the potential that the field represents. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Chemicals,Environment,Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | Accellerated Capability Environment - Innovating a next generation autosampler and analysis |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Innovating a next generation autosampler for implementation in national wastewater based epidemiology surveillance for COVID-19 allows for a step-change in the quality of the data used to info the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The capacity to add automated analysis to an autosampler will be a massive breakthrough for the delivery of rapid surveillance data to those in public health, leading to potentially much improved health outcomes. |
| Description | Advisor to UK Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Joint Biosecurity Centre (Department of Health) on Wastewater Epidemiology |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Improved public health surveillance and societal outcomes during the pandemic resulted from my membership and contributions on several advisory groups on wastewater-based surveillance. |
| Description | Evidence of Wider Environmental Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: Assessing risk of transmission through outdoor air, water, outdoor surfaces, and food - Transmission of Covid-19 in the Wider Environment Group (TWEG), reporting to UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) [DW Graham co-author] |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | A number of significant evidence gaps hamper assessment of transmission risk of SARS-CoV2 through environmental pathways. While various studies have detected viral RNA signatures from environmental samples (from air, water, treated effluents and sewage and surfaces) using RT-PCR, infectivity has not been assessed in most cases. Very few studies have investigated the presence of infective virus using culture techniques. In addition, the infective dose of SARSCoV-2 is still uncertain. Assessments of risk and uncertainty therefore draw heavily on expert judgement and knowledge of other pathogens throughout this document. The level of risk of catching SARS-CoV-2 from the environment is highly dependent on the levels of infective SARSCoV-2 circulating in the population and its geographical spread. |
| URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8996... |
| Description | Initiatives for Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment: Current Situation and Challenges. Prepared for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the UK Science & Innovation Network, and the Wellcome Trust [co-authored by D Graham]aham |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | Key points taken from report Executive Summary: • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-when microbes (i.e., bacteria and fungi) develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to combat them-is a public health threat and global priority. Resistant pathogens can cause infections in humans that are difficult or impossible to treat. • Scientific evidence shows that antimicrobials and antimicrobial-resistant microbes are present and can persist and travel (spread) through the environment (waterways and soils). Human activity can contaminate the environment with antimicrobials and antimicrobial-resistant microbes, which can accelerate the development and spread of resistance. • Contamination can occur from human and animal waste, pharmaceutical manufacturing waste, and use of antimicrobial pesticides for crops; however, the scale and risk associated with this contamination is not fully understood. There are outstanding scientific questions related to the presence and impact of antimicrobial-resistant microbes in the environment and the direct risk posed to human health. • The environment is a key element of the One Health framework. It is necessary to better understand risks, prioritize action to address antimicrobial-resistant microbes in the environment where potential risks to human health are greatest, and cultivate a collaborative global approach. • Scientific review suggests that there are actions that could improve understanding and guide action: - A better understanding of hospital waste treatment in different global settings is a priority, requiring establishment of evidence-based waste standards and implementation of effective waste management practices and capabilities where interventions are most needed. - Good hygiene and sanitation, including effective waste disposal and treatment, are important ways to mitigate the risk of antimicrobial-resistant microbes in the environment associated with human waste and wastewater contamination. - When feasible, contamination by animal waste could be reduced by improving antimicrobial use, developing alternative disease control methods (e.g., vaccines), and improving the quality of the rearing environment to help reduce the need for antimicrobials. - Agreement on a discharge limit for effluents leaving manufacturing sites and standardized monitoring and reporting of effluent levels could significantly reduce contamination and potential human health risks associated with exposure to resistant microbes in the environment. - Potential risks from using antimicrobials on crops could be reduced through greater global transparency of antimicrobial use, implementation of best management practices when applying antimicrobials as pesticides, and greater use of alternative disease prevention and treatment strategies. • To maximize potential impact, align activities to address antimicrobial-resistant microbes in the environment (e.g., addressing knowledge gaps) with existing global public health and development efforts, such as Sustainable Development Goals; the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Initiative; and the Global Health Security Agenda. |
| URL | https://wellcome.org/sites/default/files/antimicrobial-resistance-environment-report.pdf |
| Description | Monitoring the presence and infection risk of SARS-CoV-2 in the environment: approaches, limitations and interpretation - Transmission of Covid-19 in the Wider Environment Group (TWEG), reporting to UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) [DW Graham co-author] |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | This paper provides an overview of the key principles and approaches to monitor SARSCoV-2 in the environment. It covers sampling from water (freshwater, wastewater and marine), air and surfaces (including surfaces of food), and discusses the strengths and limitations of key detection methods. It is intended as a primer for Government officials, managers of organisations and those without technical expertise in the subject who may be considering the need for assessing Covid-19 risk in a setting for which they are responsible. While it is not an in-depth review or a methods manual, it provides some guidance on how to interpret research results and environmental monitoring data. References to more detailed specialist literature are provided. |
| URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9458... |
| Description | Monitoring wastewater for COVID-19. Prepared for The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology [Author: Amelie Ott, with contributions by D Graham and M Quintela-Baluja] |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | This impartial brief was prepared for Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords to get them up to spread on wastewater monitoring for Covid-19. This review is written in plain English making it accessible to a broad audience. Additionally, it identifies the government-led projects for England, Wales and Scotland and how information gathered by these projects are passed on to NHS Test and Trace and the local council, who were able to alert local health professionals to the increased risk and contact people in the area to warn of the increase in cases. |
| URL | https://post.parliament.uk/monitoring-wastewater-for-covid-19/ |
| Description | Use of data in UK Government covid-19 response documents |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Results used in several reports to SAGE and Welsh Government to inform policy. |
| Description | C215 - Waste Water Analysis |
| Amount | £70,466 (GBP) |
| Organisation | NHS England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2021 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | Spatial And Network Analysis Of SARS-Cov-2 Sequences To Inform COVID-19 Control In Scotland |
| Amount | £299,037 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | HIPS/21/71 |
| Organisation | Chief Scientist Office |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2022 |
| End | 12/2023 |
| Description | Bio Data Networks Limited design of next gen autosampler |
| Organisation | Bio Data Networks |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Assistance in the design of next-generation autosampler, sample prep and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partners contributed to the design, construction and testing of prototypes of next-gen autosamplers. |
| Impact | We submitted a bid to the Accelerated Capability Environment call. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Bio Data Networks Limited design of next gen autosampler |
| Organisation | Bio Data Networks |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Assistance in the design of next-generation autosampler, sample prep and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partners contributed to the design, construction and testing of prototypes of next-gen autosamplers. |
| Impact | We submitted a bid to the Accelerated Capability Environment call. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | partnership with United Utilities |
| Organisation | United Utilities Group PLC |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | sample analysis for SARS-CoV-2 |
| Collaborator Contribution | sample collection, provision of data |
| Impact | regular reports to DHSC |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Title | Apparatus and Method for Rapid Monitoring of Pathogens in Water |
| Description | It provides a rapid and on-site method for the enrichment and detection of pathogens in water and wastewater. |
| IP Reference | |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2022 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | It provides a rapid and on-site method for the enrichment and detection of pathogens in water and wastewater. |
| Company Name | BIO DATA NETWORKS LIMITED |
| Description | Bio Data Networks is a technology company that is designing the next generation of wastewater sampling and analysis equipment that is fit for the purpose of wastewater based epidemiology |
| Year Established | 2020 |
| Impact | Bio Data Networks has contributed to wastewater surveillance of numerous locations in England that have informed on the level of COVID carriage in the population under surveillance. In several instances it triggered interventions that was responsible for the early identification of asymptomatic carriers of COVID. |
| Website | https://biodatanetworks.com/ |
| Description | 1. Kasprzyk-Hordern, Global practices on environmental surveillance for public health tracking and forensics, WRC WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DAY WEBINAR, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, A KEY PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION IN DISEASE PANDEMIC PREVENTION 23 September 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar focussed on Wastewater-based epidemiology 1. Kasprzyk-Hordern, Global practices on environmental surveillance for public health tracking and forensics, WRC WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DAY WEBINAR, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, A KEY PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION IN DISEASE PANDEMIC PREVENTION 23 September 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Annual Graham Group Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Annual Graham Research Group newsletter available online and set as a pdf to interested parties. It highlight the group's research efforts and compliments the group's research blog. It provides a condensed version for our funders, research partners, university colleagues, alumni, and students as well as friends and family. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/grahamr/?page_id=31 |
| Description | Article on our work in the Arabic version of the Scientific American magazine |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We developed a rapid and simpler method for quantifying AMR gene transfer in environmental samples. One of the partners in the work was a colleague from Egypt and the work drew a lot of nice attention in the Arabic-speaking world. This led to the Arabic Scientific American doing a piece on our work, highlighting its importance people in their region but also more widely across the emerging and developing world. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.scientificamerican.com/arabic/articles/news/tracing-environmental-dimension-of-spread-of... |
| Description | BBC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | BBC interview: Coronavirus: Sewage testing for Covid-19 begins in England. 03 August, 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53635692 |
| Description | BBC Inside Science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Smart bricks, The Royal Academy of Engineering awards for pandemic engineering solutions and detecting SARS-Cov-2 in sewage. 20 August 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lvct |
| Description | BBC News |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: BBC "Coronavirus: Testing sewage an 'easy win'" by Victoria Gill 02 July 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/science-environment-53257101 |
| Description | BBC Radio 4 programme - Beyond the Buzzwords - |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An interview on a podcast on the buzzword "Big Data" (or buzz phrase :) ). Discussed the role of big data in particular in mobility tracking and how it is used to help us understand and control infectious diseases, including COVID-19. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lghg |
| Description | BMJ Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: BMJ "Sewage monitoring is the UK's next defence against covid-19" 15 July 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m2599.full |
| Description | Coronavirus: Testing sewage an 'easy win' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article written by Gill V. (2 July 2020)for BBC | News | Science & Environment. It contains quotes from Professors David Graham and others related to the UK National Surveillance Programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53257101 |
| Description | Daily Mail Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Daily Mail. What your loo reveals about you! From how much you drink to whether you're using an inhaler, what you flush away holds vital clues about your health. Now, scientists believe it could be an early warning system for Covid outbreaks. 05 October 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8807693/What-loo-reveals-Scientists-believe-warning-Covid... |
| Description | Engineering & Technology (E&T) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: UK-wide system to detect coronavirus in wastewater 02 July 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/07/uk-wide-system-to-detect-coronavirus-in-wastewater/ |
| Description | Fighting the Next Pandemic: Water quality, antimicrobial resistance, and global health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 2020 Newcastle University Alumni Day lecture. 10 October 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/DB5aKt7YdD8 |
| Description | Financial Times |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: UK plans to track spread of coronavirus in sewage 22/05/2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.ft.com/content/e6ad8aa0-47ad-4ac1-b7f5-3375ab7d7ea6 |
| Description | GrahAMR Research Group Blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The GrahAM Research Group blog highlights the work of the Graham research team, focusing primarily on work surrounding antimicrobial resistance (AMR), taking a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to global health and well-being. The team of researchers, led by Newcastle University Prof David W Graham, utilises a holistic 'One Health Approach', and contributes to several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our research provides guidance to various international organisations, including the World Health Organisation, and bridges sustainable development, engineering, health, and sociotechnical mitigation options for reducing global AMR. The main topics we explore are the transmission, fate and impact of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment resulting from human activity; energy minimization in water, wastewater and solid waste management systems; the microbiology and ecology of greenhouse gas suppression and production in geochemical settings, especially in Polar regions; and water and environmental quality in the developing and emerging world. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/grahamr/ |
| Description | Guardian Opinion Article - "England's bungled response to Covid-19 leaves it vulnerable to more outbreaks" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This opinion piece was written around the low point of COVID-19 infections in the UK illustrating some of the dangers that could be foreseen as leading to a potential second wave of infection in the autumn winter of 2020. The Guardian newspaper is one of the most trusted in the world. This piece received considerable attention on social media. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/03/england-bungled-covid-19-outbreaks-scotland |
| Description | Guardian Podcast - Covid-19: does more testing always mean more cases? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A podcast to explain the importance of tracking COVID-19 test positivity, and highlighting how it could be used incorrectly to either over or under estimate the severity of an infectious disease's impact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2020/aug/04/covid-19-does-more-testing-always-mean-more-ca... |
| Description | How sewage can provide an early warning of coronavirus outbreaks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Publication in: www.innovationnewsnetwork.com, The Innovation Platform, Issue 4, p188-191 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/publication/the-innovation-platform-issue-4/ |
| Description | How testing sewage could help the UK predict COVID-19 outbreaks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This article written by Thomas White for CGTN (China) touches on how sewage testing could be used to predict Covid-19 outbreaks. It includes quotes from Prof David Graham. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2020-07-13/How-testing-sewage-could-help-the-UK-predict-COVID-19-outbre... |
| Description | Kasprzyk-Hordern interview for The bmj article: Sewage monitoring is the UK's next defence against covid-19, 15th of July 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview for an article |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m2599.full |
| Description | Kasprzyk-Hordern, Work begins on UK system for estimating COVID-19 cases from wastewater, University of Bath, 2nd of July 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Press release |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/work-begins-on-uk-system-for-estimating-covid-19-cases-from-was... |
| Description | Kasprzyk-Hordern, interview, NBCnews, In search for a coronavirus early warning system, scientists look to the sewers, 3rd of July 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | interview |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/search-coronavirus-early-warning-system-scientists-look-sewers-n1... |
| Description | Leading Britain's Conversation (LBC) - Eddie Mair Interview. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview on live radio: 23 October 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.globalplayer.com/catchup/lbc/uk/b8FPjCj/ |
| Description | NBC News Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview with NBC News, "In search for a coronavirus early warning system, scientists look to the sewers" 03 July 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/search-coronavirus-early-warning-system-scientists-look-sewers-n1... |
| Description | Personal highlighted interview in an international magazine aimed healthcare professionals |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Graham was interviewed by Health Europa on relationships between sanitation and the spread of antibiotic resistance. The article was presented as a series of question and answers, specifically aimed at informing medical practitioners on the importance on environmental factors on human health. The article highlighted new methods we developed for tracking AMR in environmental samples in less developed countries. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.healtheuropa.eu/sanitations-role-in-reducing-the-spread-of-amr/113200/ |
| Description | Researchers looking at sewage to learn about COVID-19 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | MSNBC | The 11th Hour with Brian Williams ran this piece to address - why researchers are looking to the sewers to learn more about COVID-19. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.msnbc.com/11th-hour/watch/researchers-looking-at-sewage-to-learn-about-covid-19-87790661... |
| Description | Reuters |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: How sewer science could ease testing pressure and track COVID-19 14/05/2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-sewage/how-sewer-science-could-ease-testing-pre... |
| Description | SARS-CoV-2 wastewater epidemiology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | BBC Look North, 3 November 2020, with a Twitter post by Lee Johnson. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/i/status/1323721151005233152 |
| Description | Scientists around the world are already fighting the next pandemic |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Graham DW and Collignon P (9 June 2020 • 06:00 am) The Conversation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/scientists-around-the-world-are-already-fighting-the-next-pandemic-11524... |
| Description | Sewage monitoring could provide an early warning of COVID-19 outbreaks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Newcastle University Press Office. 23 April 2020. Showcase Newcastle University's involvement in project using wastewater=based epidemiology. The project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Council (EPSRC), is being co-led by Professor David Graham, Professor of Ecosystems Engineering, and Dr Marcos Quintela-Baluja both from Newcastle University, with their close colleague Professor Jesus Romalde in Santiago. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2020/04/covid19sewage/ |
| Description | Sky News Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Sky News: Coronavirus: Sewage tests detect local COVID-19 hotspots. 23 October 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://news.sky.com/story/amp/coronavirus-sewage-tests-detect-local-covid-19-hotspots-12111784 |
| Description | Speight interview, BBC Radio Sheffield, 14 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight live interview on tracking coronavirus in wastewater. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Speight interview, BBC Radio West Midlands, 3 August 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight live interview on monitoring coronavirus in wastewater |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Speight interview, Express Healthcare India, 18 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight interviewed for article, 'Using wastewater to track the Covid 19 second wave', published 18 May 2020. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.expresshealthcare.in/covid19-updates/using-wastewater-to-track-the-covid-19-second-wave/... |
| Description | Speight interview, Financial Times, 22 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight interviewed for article, 'UK plans to track spread of coronavirus in sewage', published 22 May 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.ft.com/content/e6ad8aa0-47ad-4ac1-b7f5-3375ab7d7ea6 |
| Description | Speight interview, Hallam FM Radio, 13 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight live radio interview on tracking coronavirus in sewage. Plus radio news segment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://planetradio.co.uk/hallam/local/news/engineers-at-sheffield-uni-think-testing-sewage-could-be... |
| Description | Speight interview, ITV News, 13 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight interview for article, 'Experts from Sheffield say sewage could be the key to tracking second wave of coronavirus', published 13 May 2020. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2020-05-12/experts-from-sheffield-say-sewage-could-be-the-key-to-t... |
| Description | Speight interview, Mail Online, 13 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight interview for article, 'Sewage key to tracking second wave of coronavirus', published 13 May 2020. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8313571/Sewage-key-tracking-second-wave-coronavirus.... |
| Description | Speight interview, Sky News, 13 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight interview for article, 'UK might use sewage to track coronavirus hotspots', 13 May 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-uk-might-use-sewage-to-track-coronavirus-hotspots-11987670 |
| Description | Speight interview, The Times, 13 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight interview for article, 'NHS coronavirus tracing app to roll out nationwide in mid-May', published 13 May 2020. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nhs-coronavirus-tracing-app-to-roll-out-nationwide-in-mid-may-53g... |
| Description | Speight interview, multiple media outlets, 13 May 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Speight featured in multiple media articles about tracking coronavirus in sewage, 13 May 2020, including Evening Standard, Northern Echo, Lancashire Telegraph, Belfast Live, Hull Live, Derbyshire Live, Leeds Live, North Wales Live. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | The Biologist, The Royal Society of Biology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: 'We don't have to demonstrate we can do it anymore, we need to demonstrate how well we can do it' 11 August, 2020. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://thebiologist.rsb.org.uk/biologist-covid-19/189-biologist/biologist-covid-19/2401-we-don-t-ha... |
| Description | The Guardian |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: Covid-19: what can sewage tell us? - podcast. 21 July, 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2020/jul/21/covid-19-what-can-sewage-tell-us |
| Description | The Naked Scientist Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: NakedScientist Podcast "Searching sewage for coronavirus 14 July 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/searching-sewage-coronavirus |
| Description | The Scientist |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview: Countries Begin Large-Scale Screening for SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage 14/05/2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/countries-begin-large-scale-screening-for-sars-cov-2-in-s... |
| Description | Various media interactions on the COVID-19 pandemic in the year from March 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Over the past year I have engaged with the media on the COVID-19 pandemic via the Science Media Centre and the Edinburgh University Press Office. This has involved a variety of interviews and quotes at the national and international level. A search done by our research office suggests considerable penetration internationally with a search returning mentions in 3016 articles online, 93 print articles, 73 broadcasted interviews and 6 blogs. While the bulk of these impressions was in the UK, there are further multiple impressions around the world (top 10 are the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, India, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, Jersey and Malaysia). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | Wired |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Inside the plan to track Covid-19 by analysing everyone's poop 25/06/2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.wired.co.uk/article/coronavirus-sewage-analysis-uk |
| Description | Work begins on UK system for detecting COVID-19 in wastewater |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Newcastle University Press Office. 2 July 2020. Announcement that scientists at Newcastle University are part of a national programme to perform underpinning research and develop a standardised UK-wide system for detecting COVID-19 in wastewater. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2020/07/nationalcovidwastewater/ |
| Description | iNews opinion piece - "Covid roadmap: Boris Johnson's 'cautious' approach could be risky when it comes to schools" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This opinion piece was written in response to announcements for release from lockdown plans, outlining some of the epidemiological factors that would influence potentially different paths we could take, as related to the announcement. The inews is one of the UK's most trusted newspapers (according to independent polls) - it has an estimated readership of over 6,000,000 online every month, and 1,000,000 in print (the piece appeared in abbreviated form in the print version). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://inews.co.uk/opinion/covid-roadmap-boris-johnson-schools-opening-cautious-approach-882889 |
| Description | public engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I have given lots and lots of radio and TV interviews on the subject of the award. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |