The outbreak of COVID-19 has posed enormous health, social, environmental and economic challenges to the entire human population. Nevertheless, it provides an opportunity for extensive research in various fields to evaluate the fate of the crisis and combat it. The apparent need for imperative research in the biological and medical field is the focus of researchers and scientists worldwide. However, there are some new challenges and research opportunities in the field of water and wastewater treatment concerning the novel coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This article briefly summarizes the latest literature reporting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in water and wastewater/sewage. Furthermore, it highlights the challenges, potential opportunities and research directions in the water and wastewater treatment field. Some of the significant challenges and research opportunities are the development of standard techniques for the detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in the water phase, assessment of favorable environments for its survival and decay in water; and development of effective strategies for elimination of the novel virus from water. Advancement in research in this domain will help to protect the environment, human health, and managing this type of pandemic in the future.

COVID-19 的爆发给整个人类带来了巨大的健康、社会、环境和经济挑战。尽管如此，它为各个领域的广泛研究提供了机会，以评估危机的命运并与之抗争。生物和医学领域迫切需要进行研究，这是全世界研究人员和科学家关注的焦点。然而，新型冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）在水和废水处理领域存在一些新的挑战和研究机遇。本文简要总结了报告水和废水/污水中存在 SARS-CoV-2 的最新文献。此外，它还强调了水和废水处理领域的挑战、潜在机遇和研究方向。一些重大挑战和研究机会包括开发用于检测和定量水相中 SARS-CoV-2 的标准技术，评估其在水中生存和腐烂的有利环境；并制定从水中消除新型病毒的有效策略。该领域研究的进步将有助于保护环境、人类健康并在未来管理此类流行病。