GLIER director and researcher Mike McKay, along with colleagues Ken Drouillard, Daniel Heath, Christopher Weisener, cancer researcher Lisa Porter, and civil and environmental engineers Nihar Biswas and Rajesh Seth have received a $50,000 grant from NSERC to study the amount of COVID-19 virus before and after sewage treatment. It is known that the virus is found in human waste, and by studying the virus found in the waste water, this may provide an early detection system for changes in the amount of virus in the community. They will also study how long the virus can survive once it enters the sewage system, and Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River if it subsequently enters those bodies of water.
Listen to Dr. Mike McKay disucuss the project on CBC's Quirks and Quarks
Read the article in the Globe and Mail