BOISE, Idaho — Boise State University researchers tracked COVID pathogen wastewater data in Ada County for years to establish a computer model to accurately predict local hospitalization and death trends weeks in advance.
Science of the Total Environment published BSU's peer-reviewed paper detailing the computer model. Biological Sciences Professor Dr. Greg Hampikian oversees the lab spearheading this project.
Dr. Hampikian's lab has tracked COVID-19 wastewater data for years; it took about a year to get the math right on this project.
"Wastewater-based epidemiology is becoming a new groundbreaking tool," Research Assistant Max Mortimer said. "When humans are infected with a virus, they shed the virus and that usually comes out in feces or urine. And so during the pandemic, when we were looking for every possible way to help get through the pandemic, wastewater became incredibly popular. It has proved itself to be incredibly valuable."
The computer model's real-world application is designed to alert hospitals of the predicted spikes in hospitalizations and deaths before they happen. This allows the local healthcare system to prepare for such an event.
Hospitalization and death rate spikes through the COVID pandemic overwhelmed Idaho’s healthcare system plunging the state into 'crisis standards of care’ under the direction of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
"I'm so glad that these researchers at Boise State are looking at this, we have come to really appreciate the value of wastewater testing and sampling for infectious diseases," Idaho Coronavirus Work Group member Dr. David Pate said. "You can [monitor wastewater levels] for really, for most all viruses. We could pick and choose which [diseases] we should monitor, but it could be very, very helpful for us."
Monitoring wastewater pathogens and their relations to disease throughout a community isn't inherently new; however, BSU's model to predict COVID-specific trends for both hospitalizations and deaths is the first of its kind, according to Dr. Hampikian.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.