[ News listing ](/en/newsroom/news " News listing") 16 Feb. 2021 For several months now, Veolia has been offering its expertise in monitoring the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in wastewater treatment plants. The Group developed [VIGIE COVID-19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuUstvJXNy0), aimed at detecting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater by the RT-qPCR method and is today extending the scope of its offer with **VIGIE COVID-19 PLUS** to track and quantify variants. Veolia is working in collaboration with two expert entities: • **IPMC** - joint Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université Côte d'Azur (UCA) research unit – [is sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome](https://www.veolia.com/en/news/veolia-and-ipmc-track-sars-cov-2-variants-wastewater) in wastewater in order to identify variants, • **IAGE** - a Montpellier-based company specializing in environmental biological analysis - in association with the laboratory Phytocontrol, is quantifying variants using a digital PCR method. With this, Veolia and IAGE have become the first environmental players in France to quantify variants in wastewater. These tools are able to establish a **detailed and low-cost map of the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in wastewater**, thereby providing crucial indicators in fighting the spread of Covid-19. **Philippe Sébérac**, Veolia's scientific and technological director: The IAGE and Phytocontrol teams with whom we have been collaborating since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis are recognized for their expertise and scientific excellence. Thanks to this partnership, Veolia, IAGE and Phytocontrol are taking another step towards achieving an accurate and cost-effective map of the circulation of the various SARS-CoV-2 mutations. This will help to provide local authorities with a new public indicator covering the prevalence of mutations and the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants - an essential tool in fighting the spread of the epidemic and the presence of high-risk mutations. --- ### Vigie Covid-19 Explainer [An early warning tool: the Vigie Covid-19 process](https://www.veolia.com/sites/g/files/dvc2491/files/document/2020/11/Vigie%20Covid-19-Planet-EN.pdf) [ ![](/sites/g/files/dvc4206/files/styles/content_push_teaser/public/image/2021/01/veolia-ipcm-covid-19_0.jpg.webp?itok=2C2z83mO) ](/en/news/veolia-and-ipmc-track-sars-cov-2-variants-wastewater "Veolia and the IPMC track SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater") News - 25 January 2021 [Veolia and the IPMC track SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater](/en/news/veolia-and-ipmc-track-sars-cov-2-variants-wastewater "Veolia and the IPMC track SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater") [Read more](/en/news/veolia-and-ipmc-track-sars-cov-2-variants-wastewater "Read more")