Washington, D.C. -The Republican Leader of the Energy and Commerce Committee, along with Republican Leaders of three Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittees, sent letters to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler to ask about the federal agencies’ COVID-19 surveillance efforts, including the use of wastewater as a surveillance tool.
Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change Republican Leader John Shimkus (R-IL) requested information on whether the CDC and EPA are using wastewater surveillance to detect levels of COVID-19 infection, and if so, how such actions are being used to boost overall surveillance efforts.
“Wastewater surveillance can serve as a surveillance tool which does not require additional COVID-19 diagnostic testing to be performed, and therefore helps to preserve much needed diagnostic testing supplies. In addition to preserving testing supplies, such information could also help the health care system forecast where there may be an increased need for medical supplies, such as testing supplies or personal protective equipment for health care workers; hospital beds; or medications being used to treat COVID-19 patients. In addition, such information could help those who are performing clinical trials for vaccines or therapeutics identify locations best suited to successfully carry out their clinical trials," wrote the E&C Republican leaders.
Employing wastewater surveillance, if found useful, is a recommendation from the first pillar covering testing and surveillance in E&C Republicans’ Second Wave Preparedness Project. Wastewater surveillance has previously been utilized to detect opioid abuse and polio in certain areas. Employing this surveillance tool could help communities better understand as early as possible whether asymptomatic cases may be present while also helping save supplies.
“The CDC estimates that on average 40 percent of infections are asymptomatic. When considering the rate of individuals who can contract COVID-19 and be asymptomatic, and therefore never develop symptoms, this type of system can help detect when there is transmission of the virus within a community that might otherwise go undetected," the E&C Republican leaders continued.
