INCLUDE NORTHEAST 183RD STREET ALL THE WAY TO THE NORTH TO BISCAYNE BOULEVARD TO THE WEST
WEST.
>> Louis: WHILE WE KNOW HOW
DANGEROUS CONTACT WITH RAW
SEWAGE CAN BE, NOW NEW
SCIENTIFIC DATA HAS CONFIRMED
THE PRESENCE OF COVID-19 IN
HUMAN WASTE WATER.
SCIENTISTS HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN
USING RAW SEWAGE TO GET A
CLEARER PICTURE OF THE RATE OF
INFECTION HERE.
WHAT’S NOT KNOWN IS IF THE
VIRUS CAN BE TRANSMITTED THIS
WAY.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE FLUSH
OF A TOILET HAS BEEN GIVING
SCIENTISTS A NEW METRIC FOR
MEASURING THE SPREAD OF
COVID-19 IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
>> IT’S BEEN A WAY TO ESTIMATE
THAT THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE VIRUS IN
THEIR SYSTEM IN A GIVEN
POPULATION IS ACTUALLY MUCH
HIGHER THAN WHAT THE TEST
RESULTS INDICATE.
>> Reporter: DR. MARTY IS A
PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS
DISEASES AT FIU AND A MEMBER
OF THE TASK FORCE ADVISING
MIAMI-DADE ON HOW TO COME BACK
FROM THE PANDEMIC.
AT THE END OF MARCH, THE
COUNTY BEGAN SENDING RAW
SEWAGE SAMPLES TAKEN ONCE A
WEEK FROM DADE’S THREE WASTE
WATER TREATMENT PLANTS TO A
LAB IN MASSACHUSETTS, LOOKING
FOR THE CORONAVIRUS.
>> TO TRY TO DETERMINE WHAT
THE LEVEL OF INFECTION HERE IN
MIAMI-DADE IS.
IT’S MORE PREVALENT THAN YOU
KNOW PEOPLE THINK.
>> SO FAR, THE HIGHEST READING
WAS MEASURED APRIL 9TH.
IT SHOWED THAT UP TO 2% OF
MIAMI-DADE’S 2.3 MILLION WASTE
WATER CUSTOMERS MAY HAVE HAD
THE VIRUS.
THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH ONLY REPORTED 5745
CASES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
>> IT’S CLEAR THAT THERE’S
STILL QUITE A BIT OF
CONTAMINATION.
>> OUR AGING SEWER SYSTEM IS
BEING OVERHAULED.
BUT BREAKS STILL HAPPEN.
A LINE RUPTURING NEAR A STATE
PARK IN NORTH MIAMI BEACH
THREE WEEKS AGO.
AND THE RECORD RAIN WE JUST
HAD RESULTED IN YET ANOTHER
OVERFLOW AND ANOTHER SWIM
ADVISORY.
>> SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED FOR
CERTAIN CAPACITY, BUT THEY’RE
NOT DESIGNED FOR THE LARGEST
RAIN FALL THAT CAN OCCUR.
>> IT REALLY BEHOOVES US TO
GET A HANDLE ON AND MAKE SURE
THAT WE DON’T SPILL UNTREATED
WASTE WATERS.
>> ESPECIALLY NOW THAT SOUTH
FLORIDA IS BEGINNING TO LOOSEN
RESTRICTIONS.
MIAMI-DADE BEACHES SET TO
REOPEN MONDAY.
THE GOOD NEWS IS OUR BEACHES
HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE PRISTINE.
>> THE DATA DOES SHOW THAT OUR
BEACH WATER RIGHT NOW, SINCE
THERE’VE BEEN SO FEW PEOPLE IN
THE WATER, IS CLEANER THAN
IT’S BEEN IN A LONG, LONG
TIME.
>> IN FACT, MAYOR JIMENEZ SAYS
IT’S NOT THE SEWAGE SPILLS
THAT CONTAMINATE OUR BEACHES
BUT US.
>> A LOT OF SKIN CELLS COME
OFF AND RUB OFF ON THE BEACH.
THAT’S ACTUALLY A CONTRIBUTOR
TO THE BACTERIA THAT WE SEE
AND UNFORTUNATELY WHEN IT GETS
TO HIGH, WE HAVE TO CLOSE THE
BEACHES.
>> I THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD
SHOWER BEFORE THEY GO IN THE
WATER AND SHOWER WHEN THEY
COME OUT OF THE WATER.
>> SOCIAL DISTANCE WILL BE
KEY, EVEN IN THE WATER.
BUT AS FOR THE THREAT, THE
SCIENCE IS NOT THERE YET.
>> THE ACTUAL RISK NOBODY
KNOWS.
MORE LIKELY THAN NOT, IT’S
VERY, VERY SMALL.
BUT AGAIN, IT’S NOT ZERO.
>> RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THAT BY
TRACING THE AMOUNT OF COVID
FOUND IN SEWAGE, ONCE THEY SEE
THOSE NUMBERS START TO SPIKE
AGAIN, IT COULD BE THAT FIRST
WARNING SIGN THAT THAT SECOND
WAVE OF VIRUS IS HAPPENING AND
THEY’LL BE ABLE TO TELL
EXACTLY WHERE THOSE HOT SPOTS
ARE A LOT QUICKER THAN
TESTING, KRISTI.
>> Nicole: SO INTERESTING.
SO COVID IN THE SEWAGE AND WE
HAVE SEWAGE BREAKS.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO TRY TO KIND
OF STOP THIS DANGER?
>> MIAMI-DADE WATER SEWER IS
ALREADY PLAYING WHACK A MOLE.
THEY’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A
PLAN TO UPGRADE OUR SEWER
SYSTEM RIGHT NOW.
WE KEEP FLUSHING THINGS THAT
WE SHOULDN’T BE FLUSHING DOWN
THE TOILET, THINGS LIKE BABY
WIPES AND PAPER TOWELS.
THEY BREAK THE PIPES AND THEY
HAVE THESE SEWAGE SPILLS.
THEY NEED ALL OF US TO GET A