Scientists from Munich are constantly examining the wastewater from the Oktoberfest for components of the coronavirus. There is currently a virus concentration there that is comparable to that in the urban area, said Andreas Wieser of the Department of Infection and Tropical Medicine at the LMU clinic in Munich. For the duration of the festival, samples would be taken daily from the wastewater before and after the Wiesn.
“We can already see that something is going on there,” said the head of the SARS-CoV-2 lab. However, it is not yet clear from the wastewater whether a Wiesngolf is on the way. “We can’t make any statements about that yet,” Wieser said. “We have an incubation period of five days. It is not expected that there will be big jumps.”
Wastewater from the Oktoberfest strongly diluted
In addition, the Wiesn’s wastewater is very dilute compared to other urban wastewater – this could affect the result. The reason for the different concentration is a lot of rinse water and a predominant release of urine – and no stool. The heavy rain a few days ago also made it difficult to determine specific values.
The fact that it was even possible to detect the virus, especially in the highly diluted wastewater from the folk festival, is a good sign for the method itself. Such a test at a large folk festival like the Wiesn has not yet taken place.
City wastewater is also monitored
The evaluation of the results is also complicated by the fact that the Wiesn guests travel all over Munich. “Most guests are also in hotels or live in Munich or the surrounding area, so that they can introduce viruses into the water here as well as cases of contamination. So we also monitor the city’s wastewater for comparison.”
In addition to the viral load, the scientists also performed sequencing to observe the genetic makeup of the viruses — as well as quickly discovering possible new variants.
An increase in the number of infections is expected
Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) said the development of the coronavirus is also being closely monitored in connection with the Oktoberfest. Wastewater monitoring is another way to gain knowledge about it. An increase in the number of infections in Munich is expected with the Oktoberfest. “The situation in the hospitals is and will remain crucial.” There are already staff shortages, but they can still largely be absorbed.
According to previous experience, it takes one and a half to two weeks after the start of a folk festival before any waves of infection appear in the incidence.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
