New Brunswick to test sewage to monitor provincial COVID-19 levels
A man collects sewage samples from the dorms at Utah State University Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Logan, Utah. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Rick Bowmer
The New Brunswick government says it will start testing wastewater to track COVID-19 levels in the province.
The greater Moncton area and the Natoaganeg First Nation will be the first communities to pilot the testing program, according to a government news release.
The province says it is looking into additional sites with help from the federal government.
“We are proud to support the introduction of the initial COVID-19 wastewater surveillance sites,” said Health Minister Bruce Fitch, in the news release.
“This project will give people in the area more information about the prevalence of COVID-19 in their community so that they can assess their risk and take the appropriate steps.”
Wastewater surveillance has become an important tool for public health authorities trying to monitor COVID-19 levels in their communities.
The New Brunswick government says it is a low-cost, non-invasive way to get biological samples from a population.
“Testing a community’s sewage (wastewater) can assist us in determining if COVID-19 is increasing or decreasing in that area. With this data, people in the greater Moncton area can make informed decisions about personal health measures when going out into their community,” said federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, in the news release.
“This expansion of the wastewater surveillance program is another great example of collaboration between the Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick in our continued efforts to address COVID-19.”
The province says samples are currently being tested at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre Laboratory but are also being sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for “validation and metagenomic sequencing.”
The project stems from the work of a committee with representation from various levels of the provincial and federal governments, including the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Results of wastewater testing are available on the agency’s website.
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