Traces of virus found in Canberra sewage

Australian health authorities on Saturday said that traces of the novel coronavirus were detected in the wastewater at a suburb of the country's capital Canberra.

According to information provided by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government, the virus "was found in a sewage sample collected on January 27 from the Belconnen wastewater testing location", reports Xinhua news agency.

Vanessa Johnston, deputy chief health officer of the ACT, said that the detection does not mean the Capital Territory has new Covid-19 cases, but it was treated with caution.

"It may represent a person who has recovered from Covid-19 and is no longer infectious but is continuing to shed the virus," Johnston said.

She said that the shedding can last for weeks after the person recovered.

"This detection may be indicative of a person in this category, who has recently returned home or visited the ACT," she said.