Marseilles firefighters are going this week to Moselle, a department hit hard by the Covid-19 epidemic, to carry out a wastewater analysis mission.
These tests should make it possible to determine in which communes the South African variant is progressing.
The Moselle calls the Marseille firefighters to the rescue.
Hit hard by the Covid-19 epidemic, the department wishes to carry out a mission to analyze its wastewater.
The COMETE unit - for “Covid Marseille Environmental Testing Expertise” - is due to travel to northeastern France this week to carry out these tests, which should provide information on the progression of the South African variant.
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Target the municipalities where the South African variant is progressing
The COMETE unit is a specialist in the subject.
From samples taken throughout Marseille, they succeeded in drawing up a detailed map indicating for each district of the city which variant was present and in what proportions.
It is precisely this expertise that they come to bring to Moselle: take samples of wastewater all over the department, identify traces of Covid-19 in faeces and thus determine in which municipalities exactly the variant is progressing.
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The main advantage of this technique is that it allows to determine when the next outbreak of the virus will occur with a lot of advance, since traces of Covid-19 are present in wastewater generally between one and three weeks before active circulation. virus in the territory.