virus

COVID-19 surged in Fredericton over holidays, new wastewater data reveals

COVID-19 surged in Fredericton over holidays, new wastewater data reveals

Fredericton had a surge of COVID-19 just after the holidays, newly released wastewater data indicates. The capital was added to the Public Health Agency of Canada's COVID-19 wastewater surveillance dashboard Tuesday night, joining Moncton as the second New Brunswick location on the national website launched nine months ago. Data dating back to Dec. 22 shows Fredericton's seven-day rolling average of viral load, expressed as the number of viral gene copies found in a millilitre of raw sewage, started out at 17 copies/ml.

Vaccine-derived polio virus detected in 2 Canadian wastewater samples

Vaccine-derived polio virus detected in 2 Canadian wastewater samples

After initiating its own wastewater testing for polio last year, Canada has detected two samples of vaccine-derived polio virus type 2 (VDPV2). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)'s epidemiological update released on Dec. 30, 2022, the virus strain was found in two wastewater samples collected between Aug. 20 and Aug. 30 2022.

Canadian scientists watching for new COVID variants in airplane wastewater

Canadian scientists watching for new COVID variants in airplane wastewater

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.

COVID-19 levels in Saskatoon highest in recent weeks, according to wastewater study

COVID-19 levels in Saskatoon highest in recent weeks, according to wastewater study

Saskatoon is experiencing a rise in COVID-19 levels according to the most recent results from a study that tracks the virus in the city's wastewater. The University of Saskatchewan's Global Water Futures Program has been tracking the virus in Prince Albert, North Battleford and Saskatoon via samples taken from wastewater since summer 2020. Saskatoon's viral load has increased by 85.8 per cent from last week's report and is the highest it has been in the past month, according to the study.

Wastewater study finds COVID-19 declining in some Sask. cities

Wastewater study finds COVID-19 declining in some Sask. cities

An ongoing study of COVID-19 levels in wastewater conducted by the University of Saskatchewan has found there are less traces of the virus in some of the cities it is tracking. The University of Saskatchewan and Global Water Futures program have been examining wastewater samples from Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford since the summer of 2020. Their goal is to track the spread of COVID-19 in the community through wastewater, with their results usually dictating a rise or fall about a week in advance of changes in cases.

P.E.I. turns to wastewater for COVID-19 information

P.E.I. turns to wastewater for COVID-19 information

Some communities on P.E.I. may soon be looking for information about COVID-19 in wastewater. Several jurisdictions across the country already sample wastewater in an effort to collect data on how the virus is moving through their communities. Officials with the City of Charlottetown's water and sewer utility started discussions with P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Officer Monday about the possibility of wastewater monitoring for the virus.

Winnipeg wastewater testing reveals mixed picture of COVID transmission in early March

Winnipeg wastewater testing reveals mixed picture of COVID transmission in early March

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.

Wastewater samples can be useful tool as COVID-19 testing declines in Canada

Wastewater samples can be useful tool as COVID-19 testing declines in Canada

With some jurisdictions limiting PCR testing for COVID-19 and others increasingly overwhelmed by diagnostic demands, experts have stressed that daily case counts no longer paint the full picture of viral levels within communities. But what we flush down the toilet may give us a better understanding of COVID-19's prevalence. Researchers across the country have been undertaking wastewater surveillance since early in the pandemic, looking for trace amounts of the virus in sewage to see how it's spreading.

Sask. researchers see downward trend in COVID-19 wastewater testing, but delta sub-variants detected

Sask. researchers see downward trend in COVID-19 wastewater testing, but delta sub-variants detected

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.

Your poop could be used to track COVID-19 outbreaks, says U of C researchers

Your poop could be used to track COVID-19 outbreaks, says U of C researchers

One man's waste is another man's treasure. In this case, the waste is the kind produced by people and researchers at the University of Calgary say a pilot project testing the city's water is providing a valuable tool in the fight against COVID-19. "It's similar to how detectives look for DNA evidence at a crime scene. We're looking for the RNA signal that the virus that causes COVID leaves behind in the wastewater," said Kevin Frankowski, co-leader of the COVID-19 wastewater monitoring project at the university's Cumming School of Medicine.

Coronavirus Update: Waste water used to show virus’ spread in Vancouver via online tool

Coronavirus Update: Waste water used to show virus’ spread in Vancouver via online tool

A new online tool allows Metro Vancouver residents to track the viral load of COVID-19 found in untreated waste water at each of the region’s five waste water treatment plants. Metro Vancouver, the regional district that delivers water, waste treatment and other services to the area’s local governments, says the tool is now active on its website. A statement from Metro Vancouver says it worked with the public health laboratory of the BC Centre for Disease Control and the University of British Columbia to sample and test waste water to track the presence and trends of the COVID-19 virus.

Lack of funding for piped water on First Nations in Sask. means some on reserves can’t drink from their taps

Lack of funding for piped water on First Nations in Sask. means some on reserves can’t drink from their taps

Rebecca Zagozewski, executive director with the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, says cisterns can pose health risks to those who rely on them. She says the structures can have cracked lids, which allows all sorts of debris to get into them — including rats, mice, drowned puppies and garbage — and they’re often not cleaned properly. On top of that, she says the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association is concerned that there is no certification program for water truck drivers. The group wants to create such a program where drivers would have to be trained in how to keep the water safe and be held accountable if things go wrong. “Because right now there’s no accountability,” she says.

‘They’re really struggling’: Inside the Neskantaga First Nation water crisis

‘They’re really struggling’: Inside the Neskantaga First Nation water crisis

When Chris Moonias woke up thirsty at 4 a.m. in his room at the Victoria Inn on a recent fall day, the first thing he did was look for a bottle of water. Though tap water was available in the bathroom, the Neskantaga First Nation chief grabbed his key, left his room, and walked to a nearby boardroom to find a bottle. He couldn’t bring himself to use the tap. His community has been under a 25-year boil-water advisory, Canada’s longest, and a distrust of running water, he says, has become pervasive among its members: “That’s the continued trauma. I'm not the only one that goes through this. If you go room to room here at the hotel, I guarantee you 100 per cent of those rooms have cases of bottled water.”

Is it safe to swim in a pool during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Is it safe to swim in a pool during the COVID-19 pandemic?

As temperatures across Canada continue to rise, few things do a better job of keeping us cool than going for a swim. But with the closure of public swimming pools across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many may be left wondering how safe it will be to return to these spaces once they reopen. According to Matthew Miller, a biochemistry professor at McMaster University in Hamilton who is studying the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 is highly unlikely to be transmitted through water.