Across the globe, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 has surged since initial trials were reported in late March 2020. WBE is a promising tool with the potential to provide an early warning of trends in community COVID-19 infection. There have been numerous stories in the media about WBE monitoring at municipal wastewater treatment plants or further up the sewershed to track COVID-19 in communities and sub-communities like university dormitories or long-term care facilities.

This webinar will highlight current and potential use cases of WBE in Canada and discuss some of the challenges and next steps in developing an effective tool to support public health decision-making. We’ll identify knowledge gaps and needs related to the design and implementation of monitoring programs, as well as ethical and communication considerations for the successful deployment of this tool.

Please register to attend both webinars.

This is the second webinar in a 2-part series; the first webinar will be held earlier on the same day.

Who should attend?

Wastewater utility managers, government and public health leaders, consultants and industry professionals, university researchers and investigators from public and private laboratories.

Speakers

Bernadette Conant, CEO, Canadian Water Network

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

Dr. Robert Delatolla, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa

Dr. John Giesy, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Toxicology, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Mark Servos, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Water Quality Protection, University of Waterloo

Dr. Mike McKay, Executive Director, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research; Professor, University of Windsor

Dr. Casey Hubert, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Calgary; Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair in Geomicrobiology