COVID-19 wastewater monitoring dashboard: Viral signal trend
This dashboard provides data about the levels of COVID-19 and variants found in the wastewater (sewage) of different communities across Canada. This information can help assess the levels of COVID-19 in those communities.
- Last updated: 2024-02-09
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We update this information on Tuesdays and Fridays at 12:00 noon Eastern Time. In the event of a holiday, we update on the next business day. Data at some sites may lag slightly, due to the time it takes to transport and analyze samples. This report was last updated on November 10, 2023 with data up to and including November 2, 2023.
On this page
- Key updates
- National overview
- Interpreting wastewater data
- Canadian wastewater COVID-19 monitoring dashboards and websites
- Download the data
Key updates
These tiles show how many of the wastewater monitoring sites are showing increases, decreases or no change in their recent COVID-19 viral signals. They also show whether there is a high, moderate, or low signal level.
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About these data tiles
- An increase is a statistically significant increase in the wastewater signal.
- No change is either a steady signal or an insignificant decrease in the wastewater signal.
- A decrease is a statistically significant decrease in the wastewater signal.
National overview
Figure 1. Current wastewater signal trends and levels in Canada
Zoom or tap regions to see current signal trends and levels in Canada. Map data is available in .csv format.
Data from {} sites are included on this dashboard.
Figure 1: Text description
Notes
- This information is based on sewage samples submitted for testing to the National Microbiology Laboratory or a participating partner laboratory.
- The National Microbiology Laboratory conducts testing for over 70 sites across Canada, with partner laboratories conducting testing for other sites. Data from 62 sites are included on this dashboard. Site selection and the decision to publish results on the dashboard is always at the discretion of provinces, territories and municipalities.
- For the signal level metric, sites are marked as 'new' if they started testing after December 1, 2021. The data for these sites doesn’t cover the entire post-Omicron period, which is the data we normally use to establish cutoff values. Consequently, new sites may underestimate the viral peak of the pandemic.
Interpreting wastewater data
The wastewater dashboard shows the concentration of COVID-19 in wastewater samples from different sites. The solid green line shows the 7-day rolling average of the viral load for each site. We calculate the 7-day rolling average by averaging the viral loads from each sampling event with the previous 6 sampling events. Use the ‘show daily values’ button to display the daily viral load as a dotted green line. This shows the current trend of the COVID-19 signals and the current signal level compared to previous levels for each site. Use caution when interpreting daily and short-term changes in viral load, as the wastewater signal can change from day to day. An ongoing increase or decrease in the viral load is more reliable for indicating trends.
If the wastewater signals are high or increasing, this may indicate a high level of COVID-19 in your community. It's important to pay attention to public health alerts and to follow public health advice. Personal protective measures are effective actions you can take every day to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Instructions
The data throughout the page changes to reflect the date range you select below. Select a date range from the drop-down menu, use the slider to define your date range, or type the dates directly into the From and To boxes. Use the other controls below to sort alphabetically or by trend, filter by region, adjust the page layout, show daily viral load, or to show thresholds for current signal level.
Figure 2. Trend graph of 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 viral load in wastewater, as of March 28, 2022
Selected regions:
Figure 2: Text description
7-day rolling average of COVID-19 viral load in wastewater, as of March 28, 2022
Date | Site | 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 viral load (copies/mL) |
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Canadian wastewater COVID-19 surveillance dashboards and websites
These dashboards and websites are led by provincial, territorial and academic partners across Canada.
For corrections or additions, please contact: nmlwastewater@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
Download the data
- Date modified: