The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater is a tool that can potentially inform public health decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although research is underway across the globe, methods and techniques are still far from standardized, which can make it challenging for municipalities and public health units to confidently apply methods in their own community and benefit from this complementary indicator.

From July to September, Canadian Water Network led an Inter-Laboratory Study with a cross-section of eight laboratories who had demonstrated experience in RT-qPCR. The first session of this two-part webinar series will present the key findings from this collaborative study and focus on critical considerations for optimizing the methods used. Scientists from the participating labs will share their methodologies, highlight important QA/QC considerations and respond to questions. The subsequent webinar will pivot to current use cases of wastewater-based epidemiology efforts deployed across Canada and explore both the challenges and opportunities.

Please register to attend both webinars.

This is the first webinar in a 2-part series; the subsequent webinar will be held at 2:00 pm EST on the same day.

Who should attend?

Investigators from public and private laboratories, government and public health leaders, university researchers, wastewater utility managers, consultants and other industry professionals.

Speakers

Bernadette Conant, CEO, Canadian Water Network

Dr. Steve E. Hrudey, Chair, Research Advisory Group, COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition

Dr. Alex Chik, Inter-Laboratory Study Coordinator, COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition

Dr. Chand Mangat, Research Scientist, Antimicrobial Resistance and Nosocomial Infections, National Microbiology Laboratory / Public Health Agency of Canada

Dr. Eyerusalem Goitom, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal

Dr. Judy Yuanyuan Qiu, Research Associate, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry – Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Department, University of Alberta

Dr. Melissa Glier, Research Associate, BC Centre for Disease Control Public Health Laboratory, University of British Columbia