The National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) began publishing data on Wednesday on the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in wastewater from Montreal, Laval, Quebec and Gatineau.
The INSPQ indicates that the monitoring of the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater of these large urban centers aims to provide a real-time signal of the evolution of the epidemic and helps to identify the next waves of COVID-19.
This indicator also makes it possible to follow the circulation of the virus in the population, in particular by including people who are asymptomatic or who have not been tested, adds the INSPQ.
The collection of the first samples began on March 22 in Quebec, April 8 in Laval, April 12 in Montreal and May 13 in Gatineau, indicates the INSPQ. The data for the sampling sites of these four urban centers will now be available and updated every Wednesday on the INSPQ site, it says.
The INSPQ indicates that over the next few months, other sites will be added to the program, for a total of fifteen municipalities.
The seven-day average of wastewater collections suggests a drop in the concentration of the virus in wastewater in Quebec City, from June 12 to 15. On the other hand, in Montreal, Laval and Gatineau, the data suggests a rather stable concentration of coronavirus last week.
Dominic Frigon, a professor of civil engineering at McGill University who helped develop Quebec’s wastewater analysis program, says the data can be useful for spotting trends. He cautions, however, that levels of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage are not directly correlated to the number of cases in a population.
Dominic Frigon adds that wastewater data can also be affected by other elements — such as rain, which dilutes wastewater.
The federal government has been publishing wastewater analysis data online since the beginning of May, including for the Montreal region.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
