The University of Regina has found new strains of the Omicron variants in the City’s wastewater.
According to the U of R’s latest wastewater update, the school found Omicron sub-lineages BQ.1/BQ1.11 and BA.2.75.2, which are “highly transmissible and immune evasive,” were identified in Regina in September.
COVID-19 viral load levels have also increased to their highest level since April of this year.
“This change to the baseline reflects the finding that over the summer, COVID levels in wastewater have mostly remained above the highest levels measured pre-Omicron,” the school said in a Twitter post. “The latest measurements are at 72% of the highest levels of the Omicron wave (April 22) and are considered moderate-high in the new scale.”
In April, Saskatchewan saw over 3,500 confirmed cases and 70 deaths due to COVID-19.
The weekly @CityofRegina wastewater report is here!
The new colour scale shows levels relative to the highest weekly averages of the Omicron wave.@LutherEdu @EPCOR @SaskHealth#YQR pic.twitter.com/Zr65fxllly
— University of Regina (@UofRegina) October 3, 2022
