International collaboration coordinated by Professor Lian Lundy into the presence of COVID-19 in sewage could provide early warning of local outbreaks of the virus

Professor of Environmental Science at Middlesex, Lian Lundy, is co-ordinating an international initiative to develop a comparable, open-access database on the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in sewage. Results will directly inform ongoing research into the use of the approach to provide an early warning of local outbreaks of COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater research groups around the world have been rushing to collect influent wastewater samples. This time-critical activity is particularly challenging as many laboratories are under lockdown and there is no standard sampling protocol or analytical method. Samples are currently collected and analysed for fragments of genetic material (RNA) from the virus that can be detected in waste water.

As co-chair of the NORMAN working group on water reuse and policy support, Middlesex academic, Professor Lian Lundy, is co-ordinating a global network involving the use of a common sample collection, storage and analysis protocol developed by the independent research institution KWR, the first to report detection of the viral RNA in sewage and leaders in this field. To date 85 groups research groups from 31 countries have expressed their interest in participating with two sampling campaigns already undertaken.

"What we are trying to do is build global, national and local knowledge about the behaviour and fate of coronavirus in the environment. This project is a great example of scientists around the world collaborating for the common good." Professor Lian Lundy, Middlesex University

This voluntary initiative - developed as an opportunity for researchers to contribute to international efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic - is open to all researchers and is self-funded. The results will be access and will be stored within the NORMAN database system.

Professor Lundy explains that studies have shown that people who have COVID-19 shed the virus in faeces. While virus has not been detected in sewage in an infectious form, viral RNA fragments have been detected before clinical cases have been reported raising the potential of its use in public health initiatives to rapidly manage local outbreaks.

“What we are trying to do is build global, national and local knowledge about the behaviour and fate of coronavirus in the environment. This project is a great example of scientists around the world collaborating for the common good.

“Sewage samples could provide another method to track progression of the coronavirus and act as an alarm bell to communities that more local action needs to be taken to tackle the pandemic.”

Find out more about studying Environmental Science at Middlesex.

The ‘COVID-19 and States of Emergency’ project which published 74 country reports highlighting how emergency powers were used could become a 'critical resource'.

A Middlesex University law expert has helped show how the use of emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly 80% of the world’s population through a major online discussion project.

Joelle Grogan, a Senior Lecturer in Law, coordinated the ‘COVID-19 and States of Emergency’ Symposium which was co-hosted by the journalistic and academic forum Verfassungsblog and Democracy Reporting International.

Between 6 April and 26 May, the Symposium published reports on Verfassungsblog from 74 countries worldwide on the use of emergency powers to tackle the COVID-19 global health crisis.

"This body of work, open access and available to everyone, will be a critical resource as we analyse best practice and also identify critical failings." Joelle Grogan, Senior Lecturer in Law.

These country reports were accompanied by commentaries on the use of power in a state of emergency from the perspective of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

More than 100 experts which included former judges of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as professors and scholars of constitutional, public, and international law contributed to the Symposium.

Explaining why the project was so important, Joelle said: “The fifty days of the ‘COVID-19 and States of Emergency’ Symposium covered the height of the global legal reaction to the pandemic, offering a snapshot of countries in collective crisis.

"Once the immediate crisis has passed, there will be an opportunity for states and international bodies to examine and review their constitutional and legal architecture, as well as health and crisis response preparedness.

"This body of work, open access and available to everyone, will be a critical resource as we analyse best practice and also identify critical failings.”

Dr Alice Donald, of Middlesex University Law School, and Professor Philip Leach from the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC) contributed a commentary on human rights and COVID-19, while MDX Senior Lecturer in Law Dr Ciara Staunton produced a report on South Africa with her colleague Professor Melodie Labuschaigne from the University of South Africa which was referenced in a daily newspaper in the country.

As part of her research on the impact of COVID-19, Joelle has given interviews to the EUScreams podcast, The Times newspaper, and commented on its impact on Brexit for BBC news.

She has also been invited to present her COVID-19 research on panels including for the European Policy Centre on June 3, the New York Bar Association last Friday and as part of the RECONNECT project this Thursday June 18.

Find out more about studying Law at Middlesex University