UPDATE | On Oct. 4, the College of Ottawa, Ottawa Public Well being, CHEO and its analysis institute mentioned they’d fund wastewater testing till September 2025.
Ottawa Public Well being desires to collaborate with native companions to search for methods to proceed wastewater monitoring after the province cuts funding to this system subsequent month.
At its assembly this week, the town’s board of well being handed a movement directing Medical Officer of Well being Dr. Vera Etches to write to provincial and federal companions to search out methods to proceed the wastewater testing work that is being performed on the College of Ottawa.
Earlier this month, Ontario introduced that by the top of July, it should scrap this system for sampling wastewater to watch ranges of COVID-19 within the inhabitants. This system started in 2020 and is funded by way of the Ministry of Setting, Conservation and Parks.
However researchers in Ottawa have been utilizing wastewater monitoring to test for different infectious illnesses together with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, MPox and measles.
Robert Delatolla, a professor and wastewater researcher on the U of O, mentioned hospitals together with CHEO use the info to organize for surges in infectious illnesses and provoke preventative measures.
Delatolla mentioned as soon as this system is transferred to the Public Well being Company of Canada (PHAC), information will solely be reported month-to-month. He mentioned that will not permit hospitals to plan accordingly.
“The frequency of testing appears beneath a threshold of applicable high quality of knowledge, and the reporting frequency … appears too lengthy for individuals like CHEO, for the hospitals, for Ottawa Public Well being to actually discover use in that information,” he mentioned.
After this story was printed, a PHAC spokesperson emailed CBC to say it hasn’t but confirmed how typically information might be reported till it confirms its take a look at websites. Additionally they mentioned samples are at present taken twice per week on common.
PHAC first informed CBC that in Ontario, the company at present performs testing at 4 wastewater therapy vegetation in Toronto as a part of the federal monitoring program.
The present growth plans in Ontario purpose to determine federal testing in 4 extra cities. PHAC mentioned it is working with different stakeholders to find out testing areas and implement testing forward of the following influenza season.
Hospitals depend on information for planning
Mari Teitelbaum, a vice-president with CHEO, mentioned the Ottawa youngsters’s hospital can use the info from wastewater monitoring to higher assist handle its sources.
“We have been upping staffing within the emergency departments, what number of isolation beds we wanted, issues like that. So this information has been extremely necessary, and three to 5 days’ lead time could make an enormous distinction,” she mentioned.
Etches mentioned the price of wastewater monitoring can vary from $370,000 to keep up the sampling seven days per week and report 5 days per week, to about $230,000 to pattern and report three days per week.
“I believe we have to take a look at all choices to keep up this beneficial instrument if the Public Well being Company of Canada’s method is not going to satisfy our wants,” she mentioned.
Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of well being, supplies an replace on the primary confirmed case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ottawa on March 11, 2020. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
In an e mail to CBC, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Setting, Conservation and Parks mentioned the federal authorities is increasing its wastewater program in Ontario. To keep away from duplication, the province mentioned it is working to help that growth whereas winding down its personal wastewater surveillance initiative.
“We are going to work with the federal authorities to suggest sampling websites that present high quality information for public well being throughout the province,” the assertion mentioned.
Wastewater researchers in different cities, together with on the College of Waterloo, have additionally voiced their considerations in regards to the provincial program coming to an finish.
Delatolla mentioned he is hoping PHAC will step in and proceed funding the work that is being performed at his lab on the U of O.
“If the Public Well being Company of Canada is prepared to speculate cash, then I believe the suitable route is precisely what they’re advocating for, which is to speculate the cash to proceed what’s already occurring right here, versus translating that into their system,” he mentioned.
