Macomb County will now test sewage for coronavirus

While Detroit has launched a groundbreaking study of the drug hydoxychloroquine to treat the coronavirus, Macomb County is getting down and dirty with research of their own.

The county announced a new program to test sewage for the virus to locate local hotspots. The study, a partnership with Oakland University and Michigan State University, will start in June and run throughout the summer.

"Obviously, this isn’t something our engineers ever thought they would be working on, but our team jumped on this right away and put together a solid plan, utilizing the expertise of our local universities," Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said in a statement. "We believe this project can provide critically needed information to our health care professionals."

The project will use seven sample collection sites in Clinton Township, collecting samples twice a week to the schools, which will then provide data to the Macomb County Health Department. If the project is successful, it could be expanded to other regions of the country.

The $1 million project is funded by the federal CARES Act.

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