Testing at Toronto Pearson Airport has been helpful in getting a sense of the mix of variants. Vancouver is next
“That data is quite helpful in getting a sense of the mix of variants that are transiting through Pearson and we’re able to see differences in the three different sampling sites,” he said.Article content
When the program started, Canada still required incoming travellers to test for COVID-19 upon arrival and the variants found in those tests generally mirrored what the agency found when it tested the waste in airplane bathroom tanks. “We are able to detect changes in variant proportions, sometimes ahead of what’s seen domestically or independent of what’s seen domestically, because transmission patterns are different,” he said.
Because traffic through airports can go up and down considerably depending on travel volumes and even weather, Poliquin said the wastewater tests aren’t reliable indicators for the overall amount of COVID, but they do help detect new variants. China is in the midst of a surge in COVID infections as the country has removed its longstanding COVID-zero policies.
In addition to expanding its testing program to Vancouver, Poliquin said the agency is considering a program that would test individual planes, instead of just testing all the wastewater from every plane.
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