THE BATTLEFORDS- The latest waste water data for North Battleford shows a mixed results with respect to virus loads measured. According to the numbers compiled and reported by Global Water Futures and University of Saskatchewan researchers, the wastewater virus load for the city is 139,199 per 100 mL, which is down 10.2 percent from the previous report.
However the number for the omicron variant in wastewater was 408,051 per 100 mL, which is up 54.9 percent.
The numbers are from an average of three individual measurements from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3, 2022. The viral wastewater signal is considered a leading indicator of impending surges in numbers of active cases that proceed increases a new positive cases by 7 to 10 days.
The numbers for other nearby cities show much more definitive trends. In Prince Albert from Feb. 1 to 7, the wastewater virus load was up 73.7 percent and the Omicron variant up 71.9 percent. But in Saskatoon declines are being reported for the Feb. 3 to 9 period., with a 43.7 percent drop in the wastewater virus load and a 51.4 percent drop for the Omicron variant.
