inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf

inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf
get healthing in your inbox with the morning checkup and weekender newsletter!
home / 世界杯决赛2022

wastewater data shows covid-19 virus declining in saskatoon; research now funded through march 2023

wastewater epidemiology work at the university of saskatchewan will be funded through to the end of march 2023.

by thia james

feb 15 2022
read time 2 minute read
join the conversation
wastewater monitoring for the covid-19 virus by a university of saskatchewan-based team will continue through to the end of next march after a new funding agreement was reached.
the global institute for water security at the u of s  has been sampling wastewater in saskatoon, prince albert and north battleford, monitoring for sars-cov-2.

the project’s future was unclear , with its current funding set to expire at the end of march. the public health agency of canada will provide new funds for the project, starting at the beginning of april and lasting through to the end of march 2023.

the project will receive $873,000 to monitor wastewater for the three cities and five first nations, and implement a chemistry-based measurement for more accurate readings.
“it’s a fairly large commitment on their part and much appreciated by us,” said john giesy, a professor of environmental toxicology and a member of the research team.
the team’s weekly summary of sars-cov-2 wastewater epidemiology found the viral load declined in saskatoon and north battleford, while the rise in viral load in prince albert slowed compared to the rapid rise reflected in the previous week’s data.
the viral load in saskatoon’s wastewater declined by 43.7 per cent based on averages of three individual daily measurements between feb. 3 and feb. 9.
powered by
canadian centre for caregiving excellence

advertisement

giesy said saskatoon appeared to have peaked last week, but is bouncing around a bit. due to dilution from snow melt, the viral load decreased more than it otherwise would have in some sampling, but the data averaged out and shows the viral load is declining, he said.
rna load of sars-cov-2 in saskatoon wastewater. graph courtesy of john giesy. (uploaded feb. 14, 2022)
rna load of sars-cov-2 in saskatoon wastewater. graph courtesy of john giesy. (uploaded feb. 14, 2022)
in prince albert, based on three daily individual measurements between feb. 1 and 7, the viral load rose 73.7 per cent compared to the previous reporting period and the omicron variant viral load rose 71.9 per cent in the same period.
the previous week’s measurements indicated the viral load was up 358 per cent over the previous week, and although this week’s data indicates the viral load is increasing in prince albert, it is slowing down, meaning it’s nearing the peak, giesy said.
north battleford, which in last week’s data showed a 319 per cent increase in viral load, in the figures released this week showed a 10.2 per cent decrease in the samples taken between jan. 29 and feb. 3. giesy said this means north battleford’s viral load is at or near the peak.
rna load of sars-cov-2 in north battleford wastewater. graph courtesy of john giesy. (uploaded feb. 14, 2022)
rna load of sars-cov-2 in north battleford wastewater. graph courtesy of john giesy. (uploaded feb. 14, 2022)
the omicron variant detected in the wastewater samples have been the ba.1 sub-variant, but the team is monitoring for sub-variant ba.2. not a lot is known about the sub-variant, but it is the dominant variant in denmark and in the united kingdom, giesy said.
powered by
obesity matters

advertisement

“it’s on our radar screen, we’re watching for it; we have not seen it in saskatoon or the battlefords or p.a. yet.”
tjames@postmedia.com
the news seems to be flying at us faster all the time. from covid-19 updates to politics and crime and everything in between, it can be hard to keep up. with that in mind, the saskatoon starphoenix has created an afternoon headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox to help make sure you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. click here to subscribe.

comments

postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. we ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. we have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. visit our community guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.