Wastewater-Based Surveillance Reveals the Effectiveness of the First COVID-19 Vaccination Campaigns in Assisted Living Facilities.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, including residents of assisted living facilities (ALFs). This study investigates the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and mass vaccination campaigns on SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics within four ALFs in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States from January to April 2021. Initial observations reveal a significant SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in Maricopa County, with 7452 new COVID-19 cases reported on 4 January 2021. Wastewater surveillance indicates elevated viral loads within ALFs with peak concentrations reaching 1.35 × 10⁷ genome copies/L at Facility 1 and 4.68 × 10⁵ copies/L at Facility 2. The implementation of NPIs, including isolation protocols, resulted in a rapid decline

SUBMITTER: Brenner KI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11431242 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature