Dr. Fahad Razak says the wastewater surveillance in dozens of communities across Ontario is useful not only for detecting COVID, but for monitoring potential threats, including the possible arrival of H5N1 avian flu.
In late 2022, Ontario’s four main pediatric hospitals became overwhelmed with really sick young children, a situation that forced them to cancel surgeries and redeploy staff to intensive care units and emergency departments.
‘Pharmacists are well-positioned to act as environmental stewards and help mitigate the environmental harms associated with our health-care system,’ the CPhA says.
Moderna already has a bird flu vaccine in very early-stage testing that uses the same mRNA technology that allowed rapid development and rollout of vaccines to protect against COVID-19.
