Ontario halts wastewater testing for COVID, other viruses

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Ontario halts wastewater testing for COVID, other viruses – CBC

by tmnationtalk on August 1, 2024150 Views

Environment ministry says it’s ‘winding down’ testing as federal wastewater surveillance expands

Jul 31, 2024

Ontario is officially ending its COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program today in a move some public health experts call shortsighted.

Dr. Fahad Razak, the former scientific director of the COVID-19 Ontario Science Table, says the province’s decision is “incredibly disappointing.”

Wastewater testing gives an early indication of when COVID-19 and other viruses are on the rise, Razak said in an interview.

The wastewater surveillance in dozens of communities across Ontario was useful not only for detecting COVID, but for monitoring potential threats, including the possible arrival of H5N1 avian flu, he said.

Ontario’s environment ministry said in an email on Tuesday it was “winding down” its program as the Public Health Agency of Canada expands its wastewater surveillance sites in the province.

But a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada says it only plans to test in four Ontario cities in addition to its four existing sites in Toronto, which won’t duplicate the provincial program.