health-care system

There's something in the water: Edmonton's COVID-19 sewage is vast

There's something in the water: Edmonton's COVID-19 sewage is vast

The level of COVID-19 indicators in Edmonton wastewater has soared well above where it was in any other wave of the pandemic but experts say it’s too soon to predict whether this wave has peaked and how bad the increased pressure from the Omicron variant could get on the province’s health-care system. According to data collected by researchers from the University of Alberta and University of Calgary, the level of COVID-19 viral RNA in wastewater at the Edmonton testing site jumped to 595.7 copies per 100 ml by Jan. 3 from 153.9 copies per 100 ml on Dec. 28. The most recent number from Jan. 12 sits at 525.7.