Wastewater viral load in Thessaloniki shows small rise, data shows

There was a slight increase in the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in Thessaloniki's sewage, which has been measured daily for the past week, according to an announcement by the research team conducting the study on Saturday. 

The latest dara shows that the average for Wednesday and Thursday, February 10-11, was 15 pct higher than the average on February 8-9, when there had been a sharp jump in comparison to the figures for late January.

"While there is a rising trend, we see that from one day to the next the increase recorded for the time being is mild," the head of the team, AUTH rector Professor Nikos Papaioannou, told state-run news agemcy ANA-MPA.

He said that the readings for the entire week were needed in order to say whether there is a trend toward stabilisation.

The study is a joint project conducted by scientists from the University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and the city's water and sewage company (EYATH).