Sewage sampling tells if there is increase in COVID viral load in particular area: BBMP Chief Commissioner

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 7 : The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner on Saturday said that sewage sampling is a new thing identified by INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) that tells if there is an increase in COVID-19 viral load in a particular area.
Speaking to ANI, Gaurav Gupta, BBMP Chief Commissioner said, "Sewage sampling is a new thing identified by INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) that basically tells us if there is an increase in COVID-19 viral load in a particular area."
He further stated that the team will do more tests in the areas with increasing viral cases to identify the positive cases. "We have been working with firms that have taken it up. If an increase in viral load shows up, we will do further tests in that area to identify the positive cases," he said.
The chief also said that COVID-19 cases have been continuously and progressively declining in Karnataka. "We are also continuing to keep our surveillance that includes monitoring of new COVID-19 cases, regular check on active cases if there is a new mutation, hospital admission, etc," Gupta added.