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SARS-CoV-2 has not been detected in drinking water sources and there is currently no evidence suggesting waterborne transmission of COVID-19 or other <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004313542030436X?fbclid=IwAR2ATPPAkn4om3DZZVZQKAJ7B8G6Gm8bADkH5zTV4k7XUUKoKA0SeKsrU0Q#fig1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">related coronaviruses</a>. SARS-CoV-2 genetic material has been detected in surface waters which receive untreated or partially treated  wastewater or combined sewer overflows (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720343564#:~:text=(2020)%20did%20not%20detect%20SARS,the%20virus%20was%20not%20performed." target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Study 1</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720344405?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Study 2</a>). Both conventional wastewater and water treatments are expected to be effective against SARS-CoV-2.  The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently consider the risk of transmission of COVID-19 through water to be <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fphp%2Fwater.html#Spread" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">low.</a> At this time, standard water safety guidance should be followed and no additional COVID-19 precautions are <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331846/WHO-2019-nCoV-IPC_WASH-2020.3-eng.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">recommended by WHO</a> or other organizations.

Want to know more about faecal-oral transmission of COVID-19?

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994845-can-covid-19-be-transmitted-by-faecal-oral-routes" target="_blank">Can COVID-19 be transmitted by faecal-oral routes?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983108-what-is-faecal-oral-transmission" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">What is faecal-oral transmission?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983111-can-transmission-occur-via-aerosolized-faeces" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Can transmission occur via aerosolized faeces?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983110-how-long-can-sars-cov-2-persist-in-the-environment" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">How long can SARS-CoV-2 persist in the environment?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994851-amount-of-infectious-virus-shed-in-faeces-and-infectious-dose" target="_blank">Amount of infectious virus shed in faeces and infectious dose</a> 

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994855-has-sars-cov-2-been-detected-in-human-faeces" target="_blank">Has SARS-CoV-2 been detected in human faeces?</a> 

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994857-how-do-we-detect-covid-19-in-human-faeces" target="_blank">How do we detect COVID-19 in human faeces?</a>  

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/4341544-how-do-we-conduct-surveillance-for-covid-19-in-wastewater-and-sludge" target="_blank">How do we conduct surveillance for COVID-19 in wastewater and sludge?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994862-if-covid-19-is-a-respiratory-disease-why-would-it-be-detected-in-faeces" target="_blank">If COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, why would it be detected in faeces?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994865-are-there-special-considerations-for-sanitation-and-covid-19" target="_blank">Are there special considerations for sanitation and COVID-19?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/4228725-do-sanitation-workers-need-to-take-special-precautions-while-handling-faecal-waste" target="_blank">Do sanitation workers need to take special precautions while handling faecal waste?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983135-do-sanitation-workers-face-other-risks-that-require-preventative-actions" target="_blank">Do sanitation workers face other risks that require preventative actions?</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983196-guidance-for-water-treatment" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Guidance for water treatment</a>

<a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983197-water-quantity" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Water quantity</a>

- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994845-can-covid-19-be-transmitted-by-faecal-oral-routes" target="_blank">Can COVID-19 be transmitted by faecal-oral routes?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983108-what-is-faecal-oral-transmission" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">What is faecal-oral transmission?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983111-can-transmission-occur-via-aerosolized-faeces" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Can transmission occur via aerosolized faeces?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983110-how-long-can-sars-cov-2-persist-in-the-environment" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">How long can SARS-CoV-2 persist in the environment?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994851-amount-of-infectious-virus-shed-in-faeces-and-infectious-dose" target="_blank">Amount of infectious virus shed in faeces and infectious dose</a> 
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994855-has-sars-cov-2-been-detected-in-human-faeces" target="_blank">Has SARS-CoV-2 been detected in human faeces?</a> 
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994857-how-do-we-detect-covid-19-in-human-faeces" target="_blank">How do we detect COVID-19 in human faeces?</a>  
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/4341544-how-do-we-conduct-surveillance-for-covid-19-in-wastewater-and-sludge" target="_blank">How do we conduct surveillance for COVID-19 in wastewater and sludge?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994862-if-covid-19-is-a-respiratory-disease-why-would-it-be-detected-in-faeces" target="_blank">If COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, why would it be detected in faeces?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3994865-are-there-special-considerations-for-sanitation-and-covid-19" target="_blank">Are there special considerations for sanitation and COVID-19?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/4228725-do-sanitation-workers-need-to-take-special-precautions-while-handling-faecal-waste" target="_blank">Do sanitation workers need to take special precautions while handling faecal waste?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983135-do-sanitation-workers-face-other-risks-that-require-preventative-actions" target="_blank">Do sanitation workers face other risks that require preventative actions?</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983196-guidance-for-water-treatment" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Guidance for water treatment</a>
- <a href="https://resources.hygienehub.info/en/articles/3983197-water-quantity" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Water quantity</a>

Author: <a href="https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/knee.jacqueline" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Jackie Knee</a><br>Review: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-heath-a92a6727/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Tom Heath</a>, <a href="https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/dreibelbis.robert" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Robert Dreibelbis</a>, <a href="https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/cumming.oliver" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Oliver Cumming</a>, <a href="https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/gallandat.karin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Karin Gallandat</a>, Kate Medlicott<br>Last update: 13.08.2020

Want to know more about faecal-oral transmission of COVID-19?

Editor's note