Prince Albert wastewater data not available this week

The USask Global Institute for Water Security’s Prince Albert wastewater study was not available this week.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, there are no updated reports for Prince Albert for the week of November 28, 2022, according to the data site’s notice.

“We apologize for the inconvenience. Samples from last week will be included in next week’s report,” the memo said.

The research team is also screening for the top three variants of concern: alpha (B.1.1.7), gamma (P.1) and delta (B.1.617). Additional variants will be added to the panel as the situation changes.

USask and Global Water Futures researchers used wastewater-based epidemiology to monitor SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in the wastewaters of Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and North Battleford, and to assess the likelihood of infection. It provides early warning of an occurrence. This work is being done in partnership with the Saskatchewan Department of Health, Public Health Canada, the City of Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford.

This variant tracking data should only be viewed as an indicator of trends that should be validated using sequencing technology through Public Health Canada. Because individuals vary in the stage of infection when shedding virus, levels of variants detected in sewage are not necessarily directly comparable to the proportion of variants found in individual swab samples confirmed through state genetic sequencing efforts. You can’t.

editorial@paherald.sk.ca

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