Dr. Melissa Glier: Measuring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater to supplement COVID-19 surveillance in BC communities

SARS-CoV-2 is shed in the feces of symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals and has been detected in wastewater. Testing SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater can serve as an additional tool to track and predict COVID-19 transmission in BC. We developed and validated methods to quantify SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. We are applying these methods in a prospective study to quantify SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater from five of Metro Vancouver’s wastewater treatment plants. This work will generate valuable data to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and to detect trends (increasing, decreasing, or stable). This data will inform on the incidence COVID-19 in the community and potentially serve as an early warning during a second wave of illness. TEAM: Melissa Glier, Ziwen Ran, David McVea, Xuan Lin, Ryan Ziels, Natalie Prystajecky

BC CDC Presenters

10/13/2020 6:35:00 PM