UCLA finds trace amounts of COVID-19 in wastewater of residential halls
Traces of COVID-19 were detected in wastewater in on-campus housing Thursday. (Christine Kao/Daily Bruin staff)
By Sydney Kovach
Oct. 8, 2021 9:16 p.m.
Trace amounts of COVID-19 were found in on-campus housing wastewater Thursday.
The UCLA Office of Environment, Health & Safety found the COVID-19 traces as a part of their residential building wastewater testing program.
The university emailed students living in on-campus housing to notify them of the trace amounts of the virus found Thursday, said UCLA spokesperson Katherine Alvarado. Students were advised to take a COVID-19 test by 11 a.m. Friday and students who were not on campus or those unable to complete a COVID-19 test by that time are recommended to get tested when they return, Alvarado added.
[Related link: UCLA employs wastewater testing to bolster COVID-19 detection efforts on the Hill]
The UCLA Exposure Management Team will contact any student who tests positive for COVID-19. The team will also provide students who test positive for COVID-19 with additional information on next steps, Alvarado said.
Wastewater testing can detect potential COVID-19 cases days before individuals become symptomatic.
The university currently does not anticipate any changes to the campus’s health and safety protocols.
