No viral fragments of coronavirus (COVID 19) have been detected in any recent samples taken from the wastewater treatment plant in Castlemaine.
Routine testing at the Castlemaine waste water treatment facility detected fragments of COVID-19 on December 15.
The Victorian Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) ran daily tests on Castlemaine wastewater from 18 to 22 December 2020, which were all negative. Since 22 December, testing has reverted to weekly, with all subsequent tests identifying no detections.
Wastewater monitoring can show the possible presence of coronavirus (COVID-19) in a local community, however detecting the virus in wastewater does not always mean there is an active case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the area.
“These results confirm that the COVID-19 detected earlier in December was an isolated event,” said Castlemaine Health CEO, Ian Fisher.
A likely explanation for the detection is that a person or people shedding the virus may have visited the area. People who have recovered from COVID-19 and are no longer infectious continue to shed the virus for many weeks. DHHS report seeing similar patterns in multiple locations across the state and expect this to continue. It is not a cause for concern.
“As has been the situation previously all residents and visitors should get tested if they have any symptoms,” Ian said.
Call CHIRP Community Health on 5479 1000 for the latest information about the local testing clinic.
