COVID-19 wastewater surveillance networks are being established in the province.

The initial pilot sites include the greater Moncton area and Natoaganeg First Nation. Additional sites are being investigated with support from the provincial and federal governments.

Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 is becoming a crucial tool for public health authorities because it is a low-cost option to obtain non-invasive biological samples from the population. This can help decision-makers understand the status of community infection, sometimes before symptoms start, without requiring personal health information.

The project stems from the work of a committee with representation from the departments of Health, Environment and Local Government, the regional health authorities, Indigenous Services Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The municipalities of Riverview, Moncton, and Dieppe; the Natoaganeg First Nation, and staff at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre Laboratory are also participating.

Samples are currently being tested at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre Laboratory but are also being sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for validation and metagenomic sequencing. The working committee will continue to collaborate with the Dumont hospital to process wastewater from additional sites in New Brunswick.