An infographic titled “Sewage Research Related to COVID-19” from the The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. The infographic shows a diagram of the steps involved in sewage research related to COVID-19, from the collection of sewage samples to the publication of the results on the Coronavirus Dashboard.

The steps are as follows:

Samples of untreated sewage are taken from all the sewage treatment plants in the Netherlands (over 300 in total).
The samples are transported to the RIVM laboratory in a refrigerated truck.
Once at the laboratory, the samples are prepared for testing. This involves extracting the RNA from the virus particles in the sewage.
The RNA is then tested for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus using a PCR test.
If the SARS-CoV-2 virus is detected, the researchers can sequence the virus’s genome to identify any variants of concern.
The results of the sewage testing are then analyzed and used to calculate the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in the sewage.
The concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in the sewage is then converted per 100,000 inhabitants and published on the Coronavirus Dashboard.
The infographic also includes the following text:

Sewage research can be used to track the spread of COVID-19 in a community, even before people start showing symptoms.
Sewage research can also be used to identify areas where there is a high concentration of the virus, so that public health officials can take targeted measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
Sewage research is a valuable tool for public health officials to monitor and manage the COVID-19 pandemic.