As the Federal Government ramps up its response to the coronavirus pandemic, what we flush down the toilet could soon play a role in tracking and stemming the spread of COVID-19.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has said Australia's sewage will soon be monitored for the presence of coronavirus, acting as an early warning sign for future outbreaks.
The Prime Minister yesterday outlined Australia's coronavirus exit strategy, listing three conditions that needed to be met in order for its tight restrictions to be rolled back.
One of them was the ability to rapidly respond to local outbreaks or anticipate them, and Mr Hunt said sampling and testing waste water was a big part of that.
He told Channel Seven by keeping track of levels of coronavirus in sewage, governments could quickly adjust their response.
"If there's a suburb that hasn't had a case identified but it is in the wastewater stream, then we realise we need to focus on that suburb to find the people," he said.
Research published by the journal Nature Medicine recently found people shed or excrete COVID-19 viral material two to three days before they get symptoms.
The information means governments could potentially identify COVID-19 hotspots, before people even know they're sick.
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