Traces of Delta variant virus found in wastewater is no cause for alarm | Western Cape Government

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Traces of Delta variant virus found in wastewater is no cause for alarm

8 July 2021

Traces of Delta variant virus found in wastewater is part of innovative surveillance system and no cause for alarm.

The Western Cape department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning is aware of a press release by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), indicating that traces of the new Covid-19 Delta variant were detected in samples taken from some Western Cape municipality’s wastewater.

The traces were found as part of an ongoing wastewater-based epidemiology surveillance program conducted exclusively in the Western Cape.

It is critical to note that what has been detected are traces or fragments of the virus, which are NOT infectious in the wastewater as it is no longer a living virus.

Therefore it does NOT pose a risk to humans.

The fact that fragments of the new Delta variant was detected serves to illustrate the efficiency of the wastewater surveillance program in the Western Cape.

The surveillance of wastewater acts as an effective additional early warning system to pick up any increases in virus load in a specific area. This assists authorities to put management actions in place to proactively address any increase in number of positive cases within such an area.

Please contact the SAMRC for more information their latest press release.

Media Enquiries: 

James-Brent Styan

Spokesperson for the Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell

Mobile:                   084 583 1670

Telephone:            021 483 2820

E-mail:                    James-Brent.Styan@westerncape.gov.za