Urgent alert as ‘unexpected’ Covid fragments are found in inner city Melbourne suburb’s sewage – and health officer warns 22,000 residents to stay vigilant Covid-19 detected in wastewater samples in suburb of Camberwell, Melbourne It's not clear whether the samples relate to an active case or an older one The wastewater detection program is considered an 'early warning' system By Michael Pickering For Daily Mail Australia Published: 05:07 BST, 29 July 2021 | Updated: 05:09 BST, 29 July 2021 Viewcomments Residents of an inner-Melbourne suburb have been asked to stay vigilant for Covid symptoms after detection of the virus in wastewater in Thursday morning. Samples taken on July 26 and 27 earlier this week in the Camberwell area detected traces of the virus, Victoria's acting chief health officer Ben Cowie said this morning. 'People in the Camberwell region, if you have the mildest of symptoms, please go and get tested for Covid-19,' Cowie said. It was not immediately clear whether the wastewater detection resulted from an active case in the area or a person still shedding the virus despite no longer being infectious. 'The wastewater testing program is designed as an early warning system, and a cautious approach is always taken when these detections are found,' Victoria's health department said. Victoria announced seven new Covid cases in the 24 hours to midnight last night, including a man who worked at a testing site and is not positive to the virus and has not been linked to any known outbreaks. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility