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As Connecticut Tries To Keep COVID Low, An Unexpected Tool: Poop!

A sewer manhole
Kurt Kaiser
/
Wikimedia Commons

As Connecticut looks to keep COVID numbers low, some researchers have turned to studying poop -- as a tool to help public health officials.

This hour, we talk with scientists studying our waste. Can our collective toilet flushing give public health officials a head start on detecting coronavirus outbreaks?

We hear from Yale researchers who have been testing New Haven sewage to track COVID-19 cases since March. That work was recently published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

We also hear from the mayor of Stamford about how wastewater data will shape that city’s public health response.

And we check in with Yale epidemiologist and Governor Lamont advisor Dr. Albert Ko. How should Connecticut prepare for a potential coronavirus surge this winter?

Guests:

  • Jordan Peccia - Thomas E. Golden Jr. Professor of Environmental Engineering at Yale University
  • Dr. Albert Ko - Department Chair and Professor of Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health; he was Co-Chair of the Reopen CT Advisory Group and continues to serve as an advisor to Governor Lamont on Connecticut's COVID-19 response
  • Mayor David Martin - Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut

Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

 

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.
Carmen Baskauf was a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show Where We Live, hosted by Lucy Nalpathanchil from 2017-2021. She has also contributed to The Colin McEnroe Show.

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