Wastewater data collected last week shows a decrease in COVID-19 viral loads in Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert and the loads of virus “remain fairly low.”
John Giesy, toxicologist and team lead at the USask Global Institute for Water Security, said this means that though most public health mandates have been lifted, “transmission rates are now fairly low.”
Giesy added that at this point “essentially all of the virus is the subvariant of BA.2 of Omicron.”
In Saskatoon wastewater, the viral RNA load has decreased by 56.3 per cent in the reporting period up to June 15 compared with the weekly average of the previous week.
“This week’s viral load is the (eighth) smallest load recorded since the beginning of the Omicron wave, confirming that the viral load is within the low range.”
The report stated the decrease in viral RNA load is indicative of SARS-CoV-2 infections reducing in Saskatoon.
In Prince Albert, the viral RNA load in the wastewater has decreased by 26.2 per cent up to June 13, compared with the weekly average of the previous week.
COVID-19 viral RNA load in North Battleford’s wastewater also decreased by 7.4 per cent up to June 10 compared with the weekly average of the previous week.
- Buzz kill? Gen Z less interested in coffee than older Canadians, survey shows
- ‘She gets to be 10’: Ontario child’s heart donated to girl the same age
- Canada updating sperm donor screening criteria for men who have sex with men
- Bird flu risk to humans an ‘enormous concern,’ WHO says. Here’s what to know
Comments