Detection and Characterization of SARS-CoV2 in the water and sanitation system of Addis Ababa

Since the first confirmed case of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus in March 13 2020, Ethiopia has marched through enhancing precautionary measures and applying practices to control the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, diagnostic facilities were setup in EPHI at first, reportedly testing the first 1083 samples (based on data of April 1, 2020). Since April, a growing number of diagnostic testing centers have been opened and have currently reached to 46 test laboratories across the regions with the capacity of testing up to 10,000 samples per day. Up until the time this document is being prepared, a total of 192,087 tests have been conducted. With respect to the number of COVID-19 cases and death reports in Africa, Ethiopia stands fifth with 17,999 cumulative cases and 364 deaths, next to Algeria (3rd) and Kenya (4th). Compared to the total population number of Ethiopia, the daily testing capacity has reached nearly 20% (www.afro.who.int), which is among the least of all WHO member countries. Among the daily tests, the highest proportion of cases are from Addis Ababa making the capital city a hotspot for COVID-19 transmission. Furthermore, the cases in Addis Ababa tend to exhibit similar pattern to the WASH-related outbreaks and therefore, it is important to control re-emergence of the epidemic in these hotspots through predictive surveillance of the wastewater and WASH-related interventions. The proposed research will focus in examining the five fully functional wastewater treatment plants and river catchments in Addis Ababa, where the risk of fecal contamination is high due to anthropogenic activities. Using molecular methods, comparative approaches will be employed to assess the viral loads in different sites of the river based on the type of anthropogenic activity. The output of this research will provide a knowledgebase on the quality wastewater and Akaki River water and identifies "hotspots" of severe viral pollution. It is anticipated that the proposed study will create a unique opportunity to introduce a multifaceted approach for control of the spread of COVID-19. Currently, it is believed that enhanced testing capacity is the way towards control; in addition to the prevention strategies. The study will contribute to introducing the contribution of wastewater tests in predicting peak times before the clinical data reveals it. Expected Outputs The information generated will help the public health sector on understanding the current situation of the contribution of wastewater treatment plants and Akaki River to the potential burden of COVID-19 in Addis Ababa. Additionally, the genomic data generated will contribute to the global novel Coronavirus Database and adds information to the growing the viral strains across geographical locations (see covseq.baidu.com). The component that deals with source tracking of the virus will contribute to devise control strategies of the disease outbreak in the communities by the respective stakeholders