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Tag: University of Waterloo

Topic: Waterloo RegionView all posts for the topic: Waterloo Region

Wastewater testing a ‘huge scientific success’ says UW prof as province terminates network

Published July 17, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Waterloo Region Record
Published on:
By Robert Williams

Mark Servos is going back to studying fish.

After more than four years of testing wastewater for traces of COVID-19, the University of Waterloo fisheries biologist and his team that spans 12 universities will take their last samples next week as the country’s largest wastewater network officially disbands.

The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has terminated the program as of July 31, removing one of the last reliable trackers of the virus’s spread in communities across Ontario.

Continue readingWastewater testing a ‘huge scientific success’ says UW prof as province terminates network
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Topic: Waterloo RegionView all posts for the topic: Waterloo Region

Province shutting down wastewater surveillance in Waterloo Region

Published June 6, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CTV News
Published on:
By Tyler Kelaher

The Region of Waterloo’s most effective tool in tracking COVID-19 and other respiratory infections is ceasing operations at the end in July.

The University of Waterloo’s provincially-funded wastewater surveillance is ending, coinciding with the Ontario government’s decision to wind down its own program.

Wastewater surveillance was first introduced in 2021.

Mark Servos, the Canada research chair in water quality protection, has been spearheading wastewater monitoring at the University of Waterloo since 2020.

“We’re monitoring hundreds of thousands of people at the same time with the same sample,” he explained to CTV News. “There’s been hundreds of variants that we’ve been able to isolate.”

Continue readingProvince shutting down wastewater surveillance in Waterloo Region
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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Ontario is a ‘world leader’ in wastewater surveillance for COVID. The province’s decision to close testing sites will end that, experts say

Published June 5, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Toronto Star
Published on:
By Megan Ogilvie

Researchers are warning that Ontario’s decision to shut down its wastewater surveillance program that proved crucial in tracking COVID-19 will limit the province’s ability to rapidly respond to infectious disease threats, including new COVID variants, respiratory viruses and bird flu.

A key member of the waterwater surveillance program says Ontario has been a “world leader and now we’ll probably be one of the passengers” by the scale-back that will also stifle research.

Cancelling the provincial surveillance system — the largest in Canada — will drastically reduce the number of testing sites in the province, experts say. They also caution that shuttering the program will mean that monitoring may no longer take place in smaller communities and in rural and northern areas, potentially missing vulnerable populations.

Continue readingOntario is a ‘world leader’ in wastewater surveillance for COVID. The province’s decision to close testing sites will end that, experts say
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Topic: University of WaterlooView all posts for the topic: University of Waterloo

UW responds to open letter calling for more robust COVID-19 measures

Published March 8, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Imprint
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By Veronica Reiner

An open letter calling for UW to implement more robust COVID-19 measures has picked up traction, receiving an endorsement from the World Health Network as well as a response from the university.

The letter was addressed to UW senior administration by the COVID Action, Response, and Equity (CARE) Coalition, a group made up of students, faculty, staff and alumni. It has garnered about 150 signatures so far, including UW Climate Justice Ecosystem, the UW QTPOC KW, and the School of Public Health Sciences Graduate Students’ Association.

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Topic: Waterloo RegionView all posts for the topic: Waterloo Region

Group of University of Waterloo students demanding improved response to COVID-19-related issues

Published February 9, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CityNews
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By Josh Piercey

A group of students at the University of Waterloo (UW) have penned an open letter to administration demanding the institution meet certain standards of care due to its ‘silence and inaction about the ongoing health crisis.’

Their group, called the Covid Action, Response and Equity (CARE) Coalition UW, is made up of about 10 students attending the university.

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Topic: brain damageView all posts for the topic: brain damage

Brain damage caused by COVID-19 may not show up on routine tests, study finds

Published December 27, 2023

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Published by: Salon
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By Matthew Rozsa

Our study shows that markers of brain injury are present in the blood months after COVID-19, and particularly in those who have had a COVID-19-induced brain complication (e.g. inflammation, or stroke), despite resolution of the inflammatory response in the blood. This suggests the possibility of ongoing inflammation and injury inside the brain itself which may not be detected by blood tests for inflammation.

Continue readingBrain damage caused by COVID-19 may not show up on routine tests, study finds
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Topic: wastewater monitoringView all posts for the topic: wastewater monitoring

A look inside Waterloo Region’s wastewater surveillance program

Published August 31, 2023

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CTV News
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By Spencer Turcotte

You may not have heard as much about the spread of COVID-19 lately, but the threat remains.

Wastewater testing continues in Waterloo Region and over the last several weeks, it’s been picking up increased signals of the virus.

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Topic: wastewater monitoringView all posts for the topic: wastewater monitoring

What’s the future of wastewater testing for COVID‑19?

Published July 29, 2023

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CTV News
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By Phil Hahn

Wastewater surveillance became an important tool for detecting COVID-19 outbreaks in communities throughout the pandemic, and it continues to be used in search for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 as well as other pathogens.

But it’s unclear whether current levels of government funding to monitor wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 will continue beyond next year. Experts are calling on the federal government to create a standardized system for wastewater surveillance to bolster and replace the patchwork being used today.

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Topic: cognitive issuesView all posts for the topic: cognitive issues

New imaging technique captures COVID-19’s impact on the brain

Published June 14, 2023

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Medical Xpress
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By University of Waterloo

Some may think COVID-19 affects just the lungs. What was found is that this new MRI technique that we created is very good at identifying changes to the brain due to COVID-19. COVID-19 changes the white matter in the brain.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Beyond the pandemic: Long COVID emerges as a silent crisis

Published March 15, 2023

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Imprint
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By Halona Augustine, Khalid Safdar

[I]t appears that, regardless of gender and other demographic factors, COVID-19 infection at baseline is correlated with increased problems with emotion regulation six months later: depression, anxiety and agitation.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Long COVID linked to lower brain oxygen levels, cognitive problems and psychiatric symptoms

Published March 1, 2023

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: University of Waterloo
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We are the first to show reduced oxygen uptake in the brain during a cognitive task in the months following a symptomatic COVID-19 infection. This is important because a lack of sufficient oxygen supply is thought to be one of the mechanisms by which COVID-19 may cause cognitive impairment.

Continue readingLong COVID linked to lower brain oxygen levels, cognitive problems and psychiatric symptoms
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