Out of an abundance of caution, residents of the Town of Deer Lake, in the Western Health region, are being advised that there has been a detection of the virus that causes COVID-19 through wastewater testing,  While this result is not a cause for alarm, it indicates for Public Health that the COVID-19 virus is in the area. It is important for residents in this area to get tested if they experience one of the symptoms of COVID-19:

• Fever, including chills or sweats;
• A new or worsening cough;
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing;
• Runny, stuffy or congested nose;
• Sore throat or difficulty swallowing;
• Headache;
• Loss of sense of smell or taste;
• Unusual fatigue or lack of energy;
• New onset of muscle aches;
• Loss of appetite;
• Vomiting or diarrhea for more than 24 hours; and,
• Small red or purple spots on hands and/or feet.

Public Health is also advising air travelers who came through Deer Lake airport between Friday, November 19, 2021 and Monday, November 22, 2021 to arrange for testing, if they are symptomatic.

Collecting wastewater samples helps serve as an early warning system that the virus is present in a community. It can help public health officials provide targeted advice to communities as the pandemic continues.

• The wastewater testing program in the Newfoundland and Labrador uses regular surveillance to identify the presence or absence of COVID-19.
• Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 began in the province on February 15, 2021.
• This form of surveillance has been found to uncover trends of COVID-19 in the community 4-10 days earlier than clinical data would by detecting the presence of the virus in asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic populations.
• Collecting this information can continue to serve as an early warning system for the province and help public health target advice to communities now and after the pandemic ends.

To date, 216 wastewater samples have been collected from St. John’s, Paradise, Conception Bay South, Gander, Torbay, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Clarenville, Deer Lake, Corner Brook, Stephenville, Labrador City and Wabush, with four out of 216 testing positive for COVID-19. As part of collaborative work in this emerging area of research, these samples are currently analyzed by the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg at no cost to the Provincial Government.

Vaccinations remain our most important defense against COVID-19, in our continued efforts to bring this pandemic to an end. Additional information on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, including the recently announced plan for 5-11 year olds, is on the government website as well as the websites for each of the regional health authorities:

Eastern Health
Central Health
Western Health
Labrador-Grenfell Health

Additional information related to COVID-19 can be found at www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/.