COVID-19 wastewater surveillance expanded to include Alberton, Souris and Montague

Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, reports that wastewater collection for COVID-19 (SARS-Co V-2) testing has expanded surveillance to include Alberton, Souris and Montague. Wastewater sample collection began in Alberton on November 2nd and included Montague and Souris on November 23rd. 

“Thank you to all our partners, especially the Certified Operators and technical staff working to collect, package, and ship wastewater samples to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory. These efforts are the first step in this important public health monitoring program for COVID-19.”

- Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison

Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 in PEI started in May 2022 in the municipalities of Charlottetown (including Stratford) and Summerside. Expansion of wastewater surveillance to the communities of Alberton, Souris and Montague provides east to west coverage of PEI’s wastewater surveillance network.

Regular wastewater COVID-19 testing is a population level intervention that serves as an early warning system. The data from wastewater surveillance is used to monitor trends in COVID-19 transmission and circulating variants in PEI are often detected in sewage before individual cases. Wastewater surveillance is made possible by a partnership between the participating communities, the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, the Chief Public Health Office and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

PEI wastewater testing results are included on the national COVID-19 wastewater surveillance dashboard. The results of wastewater surveillance from these additional sites will be added to the national dashboard once enough data is collected to support interpretation and to determine trends in the communities. It is anticipated that it will take at least six weeks from the start of sample collection to reach a point where public reporting will be possible.

Backgrounder: 

The Chief Public Health Office continues to work closely with the federal government, provincial and territorial counterparts, government departments and Health PEI to monitor the pandemic situation and prepare for all COVID-19 related impacts to the province, including health, social and economic. The public health risk of COVID-19 is continually reassessed, and Islanders will be updated as new information becomes available.

Media contacts:
Morgan Martin
Health and Wellness
(902) 218-3430
mxmartin@gov.pe.ca