PULSE
Research Projects
PULSE
Weekly determination of SARS-CoV-2 genetic fragments in the urban wastewater of the major wastewater treatment plants of Cyprus
Program at a glance
Funding Agencie | Water Development Department, the Ministry of Health and the European Commission |
Program Period | September 2021 – September 2022 |
Project Acronym | PULSE |
Project Title | Weekly determination of SARS-CoV-2 genetic fragments in the urban wastewater of the major wastewater treatment plants of Cyprus |
Project Coordinator | Dr. Despo Fatta-Kassinos, Nireas-IWRC |
Partners | Nireas International Water Research Center, University of Cyprus, Cyprus Medical School, UCY KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence Department of Molecular Virology, Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics |
Total Budget | 250.000 € |
Budget for Nireas-IWRC | 160.000 € |
Overview
PULSE is a Research Project involving the 1-year Pancyprian-based sewage monitoring program (10/2021-09/2022) of SARS-CoV-2 genetic fragments. The sampling points are the inlets of all Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants (UWTPs) serving the 6 main urban areas of Cyprus, namely Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Ayia Napa and Paralimni. The percentage of the population covered through these sampling points is 70% (approximately 613.670 p.e.). The Project includes the: (a) Detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in 2 inlet samples per week, per UWTP, (b) Statistical analysis of the concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and their correlation with the epidemiological data of the respective area served by each UWTP, (c) Development of an electronic platform, where the results of wastewater monitoring will be uploaded and (d) Identification of the prevailing SARS-CoV-2 variants in 2 inlet samples from each UWTP, per month