COVID-19 wastewater surveillance to begin in Moncton, Natoaganeg First Nation

The greater Moncton area and Natoaganeg First Nation in New Brunswick will begin COVID-19 wastewater surveillance as part of a pilot program.

The province said Monday that more sites are “being investigated” with support from the provincial and federal governments.

“This project will give people in the area more information about the prevalence of COVID-19 in their community so they can assess their risk and take the appropriate steps,” said the province’s health minister, Bruce Fitch, in a release.

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The project is part of a committee that involves the different levels of government, regional health authorities, Indigenous Services Canada, and the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre Laboratory.

Samples are currently being tested at the Georges-L.-Dumont lab in Moncton, but are also being sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for validation and metagenomic sequencing.

The working committee will continue to collaborate with the Dumont hospital to process wastewater from more sites in the province.

Results of the testing can be found on the Public Health Agency of Canada website.

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