Coronavirus has been detected in drainage water in two places of Kathmandu Valley. In samples collected from four places in the Valley, samples from two places came out positive for the virus. Report of research conducted by the Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal ‘Environmental Surveillance of COVID-19’ revealed that coronavirus was found in the drainage water.

The research team, however, did not want to disclose the names of the places from where the samples were collected which tested positive. “The samples were collected from four places inside the Valley. This shows that there has been a community transmission in the Valley,” said Dibesh Karmacharya, founder, executive director of Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal, who is also the lead scientist of this research. Each of the drainage represents 100-500 households.

“We have detected and characterised the coronavirus. It is the same virus that was detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, which is the causative pathogen for COVID-19. This is a major breakthrough in our effort to fight the current threat of COVID-19 in our communities.”

Various researches in foreign countries have revealed that coronavirus was seen in the drainage water and in stool. “We too wanted to test the samples here. The samples were collected and the RNA were extracted and tested. The testing of the samples includes both portions of polymerase chain reaction and sequencing methods. However, the viral load of the samples has not been collected,” he added.

“The research will help us trace the number of cases in a particular area and help in testing, tracing and treating of the people,” he added.

https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/coronavirus-detected-in-drainage-water-in-kathmandu-valley/