Environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 to complement other public health surveillance

Book excerpt: Environmental surveillance (ES) for SARS-COV-2 has been used in many locations to augment clinical data and support public health decision making. ES provides additional evidence on virus in circulation at population level such as presence or absence, early warning of increasing or decreasing trends, and information on variants of concern or interest. This guidance updates interim guidance published in April 2022 and provides advice on: What situations ES has been shown to add value to public health decision making. What is needed to plan and coordinate an effective ES programme. How to carry out data collection, analysis, interpretation and communication of results. This guidance is targeted at public health officials who want to understand and integrate complementary ES into COVID-19 control strategies.