In July, the Middlesex-London Health Unit began participating in a pilot project with the City of London to test local wastewater for genetic evidence of COVID-19. After collecting wastewater samples from area pollution control plants since shortly after announcing the initiative in July, City officials have notified the Health Unit that a sample collected on September 6th is the first to contain the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

While the science to monitor wastewater for COVID-19 is still preliminary, the identification of a positive sample indicates that this type of monitoring could be useful in helping determine if COVID-19 cases are increasing in the community. Monitoring efforts will continue in order to gather more information to further assess the potential benefits of this project for the community.

“We are at a point in the pandemic where we know that COVID-19 is still present in our community,” says Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “By testing wastewater and identifying positive COVID-19 samples through this project, we can get a sense of areas in the community where we may not have known the virus was present. This added information can assist in our efforts and would enable us to focus some of our efforts on specific areas of the city.”

The pilot project will continue as part of the Middlesex-London Health Unit and the City of London’s participation in the Canadian Coalition on Wastewater-Related COVID-19 Research, which is a national collaboration of municipalities, scientists, public health agencies, and governments led by the Canadian Water Network.

The Health Unit recommends the following actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections:

• Ensure your social circle includes a maximum of 10 people and don’t interact directly with people who are outside your social circle.
• Maintain physical distancing of at least two metres from other people.
• Wear masks when in enclosed public places and physical distancing is not possible.
• Visit an Assessment Centre to get tested if you are concerned you have COVID-19 or that you may have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 15-20 seconds or use a waterless hand sanitizer with an alcohol content of at least 70 percent.
• Cover coughs and/or sneezes with your sleeve or cough into your elbow.
• Clean high-touch areas, such as doorknobs in public spaces, frequently.
• Download the COVID Alert mobile app to be notified if you may have been exposed to COVID-19, and to let others know if you test positive for the virus.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s website at www.healthunit.com/novel-coronavirus.

Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit
519-663-5317 ext. 2469 or 519-617-0570 (cell)

Spokesperson:
Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex-London Health Unit