Officials have begun monitoring the sewage at Pearson International Airport as part of a pilot project aimed at detecting new variants of COVID-19 as they come into the country.
The new wastewater surveillance project is a “first of its kind” for a Canadian airport, according to a spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.
It involves the collection and analysis of wastewater samples from airport property with the stated goal of allowing officials to “detect new and rare SARS-CoV-2 lineages early,” the spokesperson said.
It is part of a larger provincial wastewater surveillance program, which is being carried out by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, with support from the Public Health Agency of Canada and three universities.
“The airport is a single source for collection; it is not the only source. But I do believe that, you know, COVID is here to stay for some time I'm sure and we want to make sure that we can create systems, processes, tests that are less intrusive for the general population and allow our governments to make the appropriate decisions that can help inform and keep us all safe while getting back to normal,” GTAA Director of Corporate Safety and Security Duane Mackintosh told CP24 on Tuesday.
The province has used wastewater surveillance to monitor viral levels throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with the data often serving as an early warning system ahead of new waves.
For now the surveillance program at Pearson complements a mandatory random testing program for international travellers arriving at the airport, though airport officials have previously called for an end to that form of testing.
“I believe that wastewater testing is one of those sources that allows COVID to show up days before you would see it in human testing, so I think it's an easier way to do it, it's non-invasive and it’s fast,” Mackintosh said.
