The coronavirus poop-testing machine in Cody is already starting to pay off as the results from the first test show Cody’s poop is virus free.
Last month, the City of Cody bought a machine (a Teledyne ISCO 6712C Compact Portable Sampler) that tests the untreated sewage in Cody to determine if the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome is present in the untreated waste water in Cody.
Aaron Billin, County Health Officer for Park County, said lack of the virus is a good sign.
“[T]his suggests that we have been very successful in our local public health efforts,” he said on his Facebook page. “This is encouraging as we work towards recovery, but we must not let our guard down.”
Billin said there will be three separate samples in the month of May tested. He said his department will periodically test throughout the summer as well to “monitor the arrival of visitors.”
“We are also working on a plan to test random staff from Cody businesses that have frequent contact with visitors,” he said.
This type of test is happening throughout the country. At least 40 states in the U.S. are doing this type of research.