N.B. wastewater data suggests some COVID-19 cases went undetected in 2021
CBC
Public Health officials have raised questions around whether some COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick went undetected in early 2021, after an apparent mismatch between the amount of COVID-19 appearing in wastewater and the province's own COVID-19 testing.
The wastewater data shows four apparent spikes of COVID-19 in 2021: on Feb. 8, March 18, April 29 and June 28, all times when there were "minimal cases or positive tests" reported and PCR testing was widely offered.
The wastewater testing is conducted by the City of Moncton, which has a partnership with Dalhousie University, and is provided to New Brunswick Public Health. CBC News obtained a copy of the test results, and discussion within the Department of Health about the results, through access to information.
Emails from this past April show health officials tried to find an explanation for the differences in the 2021 data, such as increased occupancy at hotels around March break, a difference in the boundaries between the health zone and the area covered by the wastewater treatment plant, and the role of temporary foreign workers who were quarantining in local hotels.
But they couldn't find an easy answer.
"The points that you have mentioned are all things that we have considered, but things do not seem to be lining up," Shannon LeBlanc, the manager of surveillance for the Department of Health, wrote in an April 7, 2022 email.
"We have taken into accounts cases in areas outside of Moncton, and cases among the temporary foreign worker population. It is possible that we had cases that went undetected (how many is not clear)."
No one from Public Health was made available for an interview to explain the apparent mismatch.
In an emailed statement, Department of Health spokesperson Valerie Kilfoil said the government is still assessing the benefits of the wastewater testing pilot in Moncton.
"The materials provided to you should be considered working documents – not a formal surveillance program by the province," Kilfoil wrote.
She didn't provide any explanation about why the data seemed to show some cases of COVID-19 went undetected.
Raywat Deonandan said the province shouldn't dismiss the wastewater results.
"It is so objective, more so than PCR testing, that I think we have to hang our hats on it more confidently," said Deonandan, who is an epidemiologist and associate professor in the faculty of health sciences at the University of Ottawa.
Without widespread random testing, which can capture people who are asymptomatic, Deonandan said it's common to under-detect COVID-19 cases.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Unhygienic conditions, bedrooms without locks and assaults against residents were among the problems plaguing two supportive housing sites in Halifax before the province cut ties with the non-profit managing the locations, a government official alleged Monday.
New Brunswick's biggest industrial carbon emitters pumped out lower amounts of greenhouse gases in 2023, but the reductions were not enough to keep pace with tightening emissions standards.
Quebec will say its final goodbye at a national funeral on Tuesday to honour late singer Serge Fiori, whose passing has deeply impacted many Quebecers.
Some Manitobans without health cards can now see doctors in hospitals, thanks to a change intended to ensure vulnerable patients receive better medical care.
Brooke Kindel's recurring nightmare of fleeing her home in Denare Beach, Sask., as a wildfire closes in doesn't disrupt her sleep as regularly as it used to.
In retrospect, Kenzie Sproat thinks there were warning signs that all was not right in her year-long relationship. She says her partner seemed to shift from a gentleman to someone who controlled and ridiculed her.
The Federal Court of Appeal will hear arguments from a B.C. ostrich farm Tuesday as it seeks to protect its herd from a cull ordered due to the avian flu, in a case that has sparked accusations of government overreach from critics in Canada and the U.S.
Mayor Andrea Horwath is appealing to the Ontario government for help in getting nearly 500 homes built in Hamilton despite CN Rail blocking the project for years.
Public Health officials in Chatham-Kent are warning people to avoid wild, aggressive or stray animals after a bat tested positive for rabies.
Camping in Jasper National Park may be a surreal experience for returning visitors and a startling one for first-time tourists, nearly one year after wildfire ripped through sections of the park.
A Bolton, Ont., father says he is angry and disappointed after his son was critically injured in a Brampton crash allegedly caused by a five-time repeat impaired driver, who has been released on bail.
A Tignish seniors home now has spaces available to let long-term care patients from western Prince Edward Island live closer to their own communities.
Yellowknife city council is laying the groundwork for the potential development of 41 hectares of land on Frame lake.