ASU researchers look for traces of COVID-19 in Tempe wastewater
Tempe city officials are attempting to gauge how widespread outbreaks of the coronavirus are in the municipality. They are relying on a research team led by Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden, director of ASU’s Center for Environmental Health Engineering. The team is using the methods it has employed in the past in cities across the United States to detect other viruses to develop early warning systems for flu and other outbreaks. Tests are being conducted to determine if the method will detect the COVID-19 disease. Halden says the test won’t track a virus outbreak back to any individual but could provide a look at the level of the presence of COVID-19 in the area.