N.B. missing from new federal COVID-19 wastewater monitoring dashboard
CBC
The Public Health Agency of Canada has launched a new online COVID-19 wastewater surveillance dashboard to illustrate trends in various jurisdictions, and help people make decisions about personal precautions, but New Brunswick is not represented.
Data from Halifax and 17 communities in Newfoundland and Labrador is included, along with various areas in Alberta, B.C., Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
P.E.I. just started wastewater testing last Thursday.
New Brunswick Department of Health officials did not respond Monday to a request for comment.
Last month, a spokesperson said the province's wastewater surveillance working group was assessing the feasibility of expanding a pilot project being conducted in Moncton as part of a research project at Dalhousie University.
"Wastewater continues to play an increasingly important role in helping us to understand the dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and supporting public health decision-making," Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam said in a statement, citing the "shift to more targeted testing."
"The detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater can help with monitoring of trends in COVID-19 transmission, including signaling new or increasing presence of the virus."
The Public Health Agency of Canada launched the dashboard in collaboration with other federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, as well as academia, Tam said.
"This tool … allows Canadians to access the latest wastewater data to inform decision-making, such as on the use of personal precautions."
The wastewater surveillance dashboard will be updated on Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. AT.
The solid green line shows the seven-day rolling average of the viral load for each site. Halifax is trending down, according to the dashboard, as is Newfoundland and Labrador overall.
"If the wastewater signals are high or increasing, this may indicate a high level of COVID in your community," the website advises. It urges caution when interpreting daily and short-term changes in viral load, as the wastewater signal can change from day to day.
"Consider the risks and make informed decisions about individual public health measures. Even if they're no longer required in your community or setting, individual public health measures can help reduce the spread of COVID-19."
The dashboard will be expanded to provide data on more cities, Tam said. No other details, such as which cities or when, have been provided.
