Evidence to Support Further Public Health Measures in High Transmission Areas in Ontario

Jüni, Peter; Sander, Beate; Tuite, Ashleigh R.; Delatolla, Robert; Fisman, David N.; Greenberg, Anna; Guimond, Tim; Hillmer, Michael; Maltsev, Antonina; Dujovny, Manuel; McGeer, Allison; Morgenstern, Justin; Odutayo, Ayodele; Stall, Nathan M.; Schwartz, Brian S.; Brown, Adalsteinn D.

doi:10.47326/ocsat.2020.01.04.1.0

2020

DOI: 10.47326/ocsat.2020.01.04.1.0

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Evidence to Support Further Public Health Measures in High Transmission Areas in Ontario

Peter Jüni¹,

Beate Sander²,

Ashleigh R. Tuite³

et al.

Abstract: Brown on behalf of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table and Modelling Consensus Table. *PJ and BS contributed equally to this Science Brief Key Message The number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Ontario has progressively increased in September and October 2020. There is new evidence that suggests that indoor spaces where masks cannot be worn at all times and/or where it is difficult to maintain physical distancing are important risk factors for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Targeted public health measures… Show more

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Cited by 2 publications

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Wastewater-based surveillance as a tool for public health action: SARS-CoV-2 and beyond

Parkins,

Lee,

Acosta

et al. 2024

Clin Microbiol Rev

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SUMMARY Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has undergone dramatic advancement in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The power and potential of this platform technology were rapidly realized when it became evident that not only did WBS-measured SARS-CoV-2 RNA correlate strongly with COVID-19 clinical disease within monitored populations but also, in fact, it functioned as a leading indicator. Teams from across the globe rapidly innovated novel approaches by which wastewater could be collected from diverse sewersheds ranging from wastewater treatment plants (enabling community-level surveillance) to more granular locations including individual neighborhoods and high-risk buildings such as long-term care facilities (LTCF). Efficient processes enabled SARS-CoV-2 RNA extraction and concentration from the highly dilute wastewater matrix. Molecular and genomic tools to identify, quantify, and characterize SARS-CoV-2 and its various variants were adapted from clinical programs and applied to these mixed environmental systems. Novel data-sharing tools allowed this information to be mobilized and made immediately available to public health and government decision-makers and even the public, enabling evidence-informed decision-making based on local disease dynamics. WBS has since been recognized as a tool of transformative potential, providing near-real-time cost-effective, objective, comprehensive, and inclusive data on the changing prevalence of measured analytes across space and time in populations. However, as a consequence of rapid innovation from hundreds of teams simultaneously, tremendous heterogeneity currently exists in the SARS-CoV-2 WBS literature. This manuscript provides a state-of-the-art review of WBS as established with SARS-CoV-2 and details the current work underway expanding its scope to other infectious disease targets.

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Wastewater-based surveillance as a tool for public health action: SARS-CoV-2 and beyond

Parkins,

Lee,

Acosta

et al. 2024

Clin Microbiol Rev

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Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Canada

Hrudey

Bischel

Charrois

et al. 2022

FACETS

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Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA is a relatively recent adaptation of long-standing wastewater surveillance for infectious and other harmful agents. Individuals infected with COVID-19 were found to shed SARS-CoV-2 in their faeces. Researchers around the world confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments could be detected and quantified in community wastewater. Canadian academic researchers, largely as volunteer initiatives, reported proof-of-concept by April 2020. National collaboration was initially facilitated by the Canadian Water Network. Many public health officials were initially skeptical about actionable information being provided by wastewater surveillance even though experience has shown that public health surveillance for a pandemic has no single, perfect approach. Rather, different approaches provide different insights, each with its own strengths and limitations. Public health science must triangulate among different forms of evidence to maximize understanding of what is happening or may be expected. Well-conceived, resourced, and implemented wastewater-based platforms can provide a cost-effective approach to support other conventional lines of evidence. Sustaining wastewater monitoring platforms for future surveillance of other disease targets and health states is a challenge. Canada can benefit from taking lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to develop forward-looking interpretive frameworks and capacity to implement, adapt, and expand such public health surveillance capabilities.

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Evidence to Support Further Public Health Measures in High Transmission Areas in Ontario

Cited by 2 publications

References 4 publications

Wastewater-based surveillance as a tool for public health action: SARS-CoV-2 and beyond

Wastewater-based surveillance as a tool for public health action: SARS-CoV-2 and beyond

Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Canada

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