Can I get Covid-19 from drinking tap water?

Health and water expert say there is there is little to no chance of contracting Covid-19 from drinking water.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said water treatment destroys the coronavirus.

“The risk coronaviruses pose to drinking water is considered to be low and the Sars-CoV-2 virus has not been detected in drinking water supplies.

“Drinking water treatment methods neutralise infectious pathogens present in the water. Sars-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus, which means it has a fragile fatty envelope that is easily destroyed by the treatment process. Therefore treated drinking water does not pose a risk for Covid-19.”

While the Omicron variant of the virus was detected in samples of wastewater collected from treatment plants in SA late last year, Prof Craig Kinnear, manager at the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) genomics centre, said there was nothing to be concerned about.

He said the fragments of the virus detected were non-infectious and non-transmittable.

“Individuals with Covid-19 are known to shed viral remains in their faeces. Although the fragments are not infectious, they can be detected in wastewater treatment plants and quantified to give an indication of likely Covid-19 cases locally."

The WHO said while fragments of the virus may be present in wastewater, contracting the virus from sewage is “highly unlikely”.

“Several countries are monitoring wastewater for the Sars-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes Covid-19, in a range of locations for different purposes. These include early warning for Covid-19 cases in a community, detection of Covid-19 in locations with weak clinical surveillance, monitoring circulation of the virus during outbreaks or to trigger case-finding in locations where there are or may be suspected cases, such as quarantine hotels, university campuses or prisons.”

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests can detect the presence of the Sars-CoV-2 virus in wastewater, which will show researchers the virus is likely in the community, but does not identify who is infected or if they are still contagious.

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