Up to March 15, Saskatoon’s wastewater viral load increased by 98.3 per cent.
Levels of the COVID-19 virus in Saskatoon and Prince Albert’s wastewater indicate that infections are on the rise in those cities, according to the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security.
Microbiologist Ayodeji Charles Osunla said in an email that in the most recent reporting period, the viral RNA loads in those cities increased, while North Battleford saw a decrease.
Up to March 15, Saskatoon’s wastewater viral load increased by 98.3 per cent, keeping levels in the medium range. This is the 39th highest concentration measured in the city.
Prince Albert had an increase of 13.3 per cent in the reporting period to March 13. The city’s viral load is now high and the 27th highest recorded. In the same period, North Battleford’s concentration decreased by 24.3 per cent, remaining in the medium range. This is the 59th highest concentration since the pandemic began.
Fourteen more people have died of illness related to COVID-19, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 1,913 deaths. The XBB. 1.5 subvariant has become the most commonly detected in the province according to the report, accounting for 41.2 per cent of all test-positive cases as of March 13. Omicron and its subvariants account for 38.7 per cent of positive cases.
Osunla is part of a U of S team measuring COVID-19 through wastewater. People infected with the virus leave traces of it in their feces. By measuring the viral load in a city’s sewage, researchers are able to approximate how many people in that city are infected with COVID-19, even if they don’t know it.
Since Saskatchewan no longer reports daily COVID-19 data and relies on rapid antigen tests for testing in the general population, wastewater data is one of the best indicators available for how the virus is spreading.
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