People can visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/where-get-tested-covid-19 for a full list of testing locations.
Fragments of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus, have also been detected in untreated wastewater samples collected in recent days from wastewater treatment plants at Colac, Gisborne, Kilmore and Shepparton where there are known residents with recent infections.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said while the test results might not mean the communities had active COVID-19 cases, DHHS had increased testing with local health services and taken further wastewater samples.
He said people who have had coronavirus might shed the virus or virus fragments for several weeks on used tissues, off their hands and skin when washing, and in their stool, well beyond their infectious period.
Mr Sutton said the preliminary positive test result from Ararat was unexpected, with no known recent cases of coronavirus in the area.
He said as with all wastewater testing, it might be because a resident was shedding the virus, or a visitor to the area.
While the other positive wastewater test results are in line with recent known COVID-19 cases, the most recent cases in Colac and Gisborne areas, including New Gisborne, Macedon and Mt Macedon, are nearing the end of the typical shedding period.
Wastewater testing provides an additional and complementary tool to the existing public health response and can provide early warning that coronavirus is in a community.
Victoria this month increased its surveillance of wastewater.
Samples are now taken from 42 wastewater treatment plants across Victoria with additional sites recently at Bacchus Marsh, Bairnsdale, Cowes, Gisborne, Hamilton, Horsham, Kilmore, Melton, Portland and Warrnambool.
Professor Sutton said finding cases early could help the department’s disease detectives track the spread of the virus and implement strategies to minimise transmission.
In September, testing was stepped up in the Apollo Bay area and then in the Anglesea area after virus fragments were detected in the towns’ wastewater despite no known local people with recent coronavirus infection.
With several weeks passing since detection at both sites, Professor Sutton said it was unlikely there were active undiagnosed cases in the area.
“Wastewater testing may indicate there are undiagnosed cases of coronavirus – COVID-19 – in Ararat and we are erring on the side of caution by increasing the availability of testing in the area,” he said.
“Anyone feeling unwell with even the mildest of symptoms should get tested as soon as possible and isolate as they wait for their result.”
Victoria is part of a national collaboration for sewage surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, known as ColoSSoS.
Coordinated by Water Research Australia, the project brings together health departments, water utilities, laboratories and researchers from Australia and New Zealand to share advances in this rapidly evolving field.
Wastewater samples used for testing are taken at the influent – or entry pipe – to wastewater treatment plants.
The viral fragments themselves are not infectious.
There is no evidence that coronavirus can be spread via recycled water nor via treated wastewater released to waterways.
There is also no impact on local water supplies. Drinking water supplied by water utilities is safe to drink and be used for normal household purposes.
People can visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/wastewater-testing-covid-19 for more information about wastewater testing.
