Viral monitoring in Ottawa wastewater to continue despite provincial funding cut: Memo
![Ottawa COVID-19 Wastewater Monitoring File Photo.](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/3/24/ottawa-covid-19-wastewater-monitoring-1-5360166-1627384601622.png)
A program to monitor the circulation of viruses in the capital by looking at the city's wastewater will continue after concerns it could be cancelled when provincial funding runs out.
A memo from Board of Health chair Coun. Catherine Kitts sent to city councillors and the mayor on Wednesday says the University of Ottawa has secured funding to keep the program running for several more months.
Provincial funding runs out at the end of this month.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"Local wastewater testing for infectious diseases has proven to be a valid, near real-time, and reliable method of unbiased public health surveillance and a leading indicator of community transmission, and is an important tool for local public health units, including Ottawa Public Health (OPH), and numerous local health partners," Kitts wrote.
"Information from wastewater surveillance has been useful in the ability to keep Ottawa residents informed and allows OPH and healthcare partners to implement early public health interventions, based on the level of community risk."
Kitts cited actions such as implementing additional infection, prevention and control measures; RSV prophylaxis for at-risk infants at CHEO; promoting vaccination to higher-risk populations; and encouraging residents to take appropriate preventative precautions when viral loads start to increase.
Monitoring of the wastewater became a pivotal tool during the COVID-19 pandemic to chart the level of circulation in the community, especially at times when testing was limited. It was later expanded to include monitoring of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The program began in April 2020 and is performed in the lab of Dr. Robert Delatolla, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa.
Kitts did not reveal the source of the funding the University of Ottawa had secured.
The province informed OPH earlier this year it would stop funding the provincial wastewater monitoring initiative because the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) would be expanding its own wastewater surveillance within Ontario.
"We await further details on the program implementation," Kitts said.
Ottawa's medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, has sent letters to Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, and to the Chief Science Officer and Chief Public Health Officer at PHAC seeking "to collaborate to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of high quality wastewater surveillance in Ottawa," according to the memo.
Data from the program can be found at https://613covid.ca/wastewater/
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.5294232.1725716403!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again.
Former NHLer and addict Brandon Reid's new goal is to help other beat addiction
Brandon Reid was a promising NHLer for the Vancouver Canucks, but his struggles with addiction almost killed him. He now trains other addicts as they fight to stay sober.
Intruder breaks into Richmond daycare
It was a parent’s worst nightmare early Friday morning at a Richmond daycare, when an intruder broke into the centre.
4-year-old drowns in backyard pool on Montreal's South Shore
The lifeless body of a child was discovered in a residential swimming pool in Longueuil, on Montreal's South Shore, late on Friday afternoon.
Trudeau insists he's staying on as Liberal leader. But what if he changes his mind?
The Liberal caucus is set to meet in Nanaimo, B.C., next week for a retreat ahead of the fall parliamentary sitting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists he will lead his party into the next election despite polls citing his unpopularity among Canadians. Here's a look at what would happen if he decided to call it quits.
Ontario's first domestic case of human rabies since 1967 confirmed in Brant County
An Ontario resident remains in hospital after testing positive for rabies.
How to get a whole city to stop lawn watering? Experts say praise over punishment
For almost two weeks, a city of 1.6 million people has been told once again to stop watering lawns, take three-minute showers, hold off on laundry and dishes, and let the yellow in their toilets mellow.
Ridley Scott rebuilds Rome for 'Gladiator II'
Scott, Hollywood's perpetual rolling stone even at age 86, may be preparing to unveil 'Gladiator II,' one of his biggest epics yet, but at the moment he's got the Bee Gees on the brain. Scott is developing a biopic on the Gibb brothers. On a recent Zoom call from his office in Los Angeles, he was surrounded by meticulously plotted storyboards.
Two astronauts are left behind in space as Boeing's troubled capsule returns to Earth empty
Boeing's first astronaut mission ended Friday night with an empty capsule landing and two test pilots still in space, left behind until next year because NASA judged their return too risky.