Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
As Canadian public health officials question China's transparency in sharing its COVID-19 surveillance information, scientists are stepping up airplane wastewater testing to try to get an early warning of potential new variants. On Friday, Vancouver International Airport will join Toronto's Pearson International Airport in taking samples of fecal matter that came from airplane toilets to identify what coronavirus variants and subvariants passengers and crew might be bringing into Canada.
Researchers at the University of Ottawa are using the wastewater testing strategy that has helped track the ebbs and flows of coronavirus and applying it to influenza. Patrick D'Aoust, a PhD candidate in the faculty of engineering, said the idea came from one his colleagues, Elisabeth Mercier, and the success of the wastewater testing used to track levels of coronavirus in Ottawa. "She said, 'You know we're looking [for] COVID-19. It's an RNA virus. Why don't we just start looking at other RNA viruses?" D'Aoust said.
Wastewater testing for the virus that causes COVID-19 reveals a mixed picture of the way the disease may have been circulating in Winnipeg earlier in March. The Public Health Agency of Canada analyzes samples of Winnipeg wasterwater near the city's three sewage treatment plants. The federal agency determines the relative volume of the virus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, and also tests the virus to see which virus variants are dominant.
The University of Waterloo's wastewater monitoring shows an Omicron subvariant has been detected in Waterloo region. The BA.2 subvariant appears to be even more transmissible than the original Omicron mutation of COVID-19, says Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, medical officer of health for the Region of Waterloo, but there's no evidence that it is a more severe mutation. The samples came from the water treatment plant in the City of Waterloo on Jan. 4 and 9 and from the University of Waterloo water treatment plant on Jan. 18, researcher Meghan Fuzzen told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. They were independently confirmed by two different out-of-province labs.
The most recent COVID-19 wastewater study from the University of Saskatchewan shows a drop in the amount of COVID-19 virus in sewage samples taken from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert. The Global Institute for Water Security's report released Monday afternoon showed a decrease of 55.8 per cent in viral RNA (Ribonucleic acid) in Prince Albert's wastewater samples compared to the previous reporting period. The most recent testing period for the city was from Nov. 16 through Nov. 22.
The most recent COVID-19 wastewater study from the University of Saskatchewan shows a drop in the amount of COVID-19 virus in sewage samples taken from three cities in the province. On Monday, the Global Institute for Water Security's report showed a decrease of 44 per cent in viral RNA (Ribonucleic acid) in Saskatoon's wastewater samples compared to the previous reporting period.
Coronavirus particles have spiked in Saskatoon and North Battleford wastewater, according to the latest report from researchers studying it. That means COVID-19 numbers will likely leap in the coming weeks in those cities. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan continue to monitor the wastewater from three Saskatchewan cities for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
A drop in coronavirus particles in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford wastewater might be a promising sign for the upcoming COVID-19 numbers, but a scientist from the University of Saskatchewan says he is still concerned about some of the recent findings. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan continue to monitor the wastewater from the three cities for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
