At the National Institute of Biology, financed by the Slovenian Research Agency, we are currently performing a pilot monitoring of Slovenian waste waters for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and mutations connected to its variants of concern. Here, we publish the results of our measurements, compare them with clinical data and provide with short interpretations.

SARS-CoV-2 in waste waters

(13. 9. 2021)

The figures shows the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in Slovenian waste-water treatment plants, based on 24h integrative sampling.

Traffic lights: qualitatively describe the measurements. Red means there is enough virus for quantitication, orange that the virusa has been detected , but not enough for quantitication, while green that the virus has not been detected.

Graph: black dots mark individual measurements and represent the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in the samples, normalized to the amount of PMMoV virus (used as fecal indicator).  The dot is only present if there is enough virus for quantification (red on the traffic light).

Bar plot: number of actively infected people for municipalities that use the respective WWTP. Data taken from the COVID19 Sledilnik website (https://covid-19.sledilnik.org/sl/stats).

Fraction of mutations connected to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in waste waters

(14. 6. 2021)

In May, the B.1.1.7 variant is dominant in all monitored WWTPs. 

• Slovenian Research Agency,
• Central WWTP Ljubljana,
• Central WWTP Domžale-Kamnik,
• Central WWTP Maribor,
• Central WWTP Celje,
• Central WWTP Koper,
• Central WWTP Kranj,
• Central WWTP Koper,
• Central WWTP Šaleške doline,
• National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food,
• Institute of microbiology and immunology of the Medical Faculty of University of Ljubljana,
• The Division of Paediatrics,
• UMCL.