CBU researcher looking for COVID-19 in wastewater
SYDNEY — A Cape Breton University researcher is part of a provincial team trying to trace if the COVID-19 virus is in our wastewater.
Allison Mackie, a CBU assistant professor of engineering, will begin collecting samples throughout Nova Scotia this month.
“We’re basically looking for RNA of the virus,” explained Mackie, who will be joined by a research assistant with experience in microbiology as she examines samples from two Cape Breton Regional Municipality treatment stations.
Mackie was asked to join the project by Graham Gagnon, the lead from Dalhousie University, whom she previously worked with as a post-doctoral fellow. Her prior research included testing wastewater for THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis, which she said is similar in some to testing wastewater for the COVID19 virus.
While people might associate COVID-19 and the water that exits their home with the virus, Mackie said people don’t have to be alarmed.
"The detections seem to show up in wastewater before people start showing symptoms — the research is still really new, as is all the research with this new virus — but the ultimate goal is to get the procedures down and working well enough and know what a positive actually looks like and things like that and hopefully get that information to Nova Scotia Public Health and do with it what they will.”
She said testing water for COVID-19 is more exciting than testing for THC, given the cutting-edge research and impact the study could give province in the fight against the pandemic by potentially help flag outbreaks before they show up.