Sault-area nursing homes involved in COVID-19 study
A group of researchers are working on a means of detecting COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes - days before they occur.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine involved 10 long-term care facilities in Ontario - two of which are in Sault Ste. Marie.
The FJ Davey Home and the Finnish Rest Home served as test sites for the study, which involved swabbing the floors of high-traffic areas, including hallways, eating areas and staff locker rooms.
“We’d swab the same location every week, (and) we made sure we were comparing the same areas over time,” said Mike Fralick, the lead study author and a clinician scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
“Essentially in doing so, we could then monitor and determine how the amount of virus changes from week to week and how that correlates with an outbreak.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Fralick likens the search for evidence of COVID-19 to a crime scene investigation.
“Sort of like of ‘CSI,’ and trying to pin the crime on whoever ‘dunnit,’ you could find their fingerprints, or you could find a person’s DNA,” said Fralick.
“It’s a very similar principle, but instead, we’re finding the genetic material for the virus, because, we know its genetic makeup, we know what its fingerprint looks like.”
Fralick says the study was conducted from September 2021 to November 2022 and the next step is implementing the study’s findings. A pilot project to that effect is in the works.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6973608.1721691615!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
2nd woman found dead in English Bay: Vancouver police
For the second time in as many days, a woman's body was found near Vancouver's shoreline Monday.
2 Albertans accused of threatening to kill Trudeau, Freeland, Singh
Men from Edmonton and Calgary are accused of threatening to kill some of Canada's top government leaders.
Athletes show off stylish and expensive team clothing for the 2024 Olympic Games
Canadian athletes attempting to reach the podium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will also be looking fashionable for the entire world to see.
Harris has support of enough Democratic delegates to become party's presidential nominee: AP survey
Vice-President Kamala Harris has secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party's nominee against Republican Donald Trump, according to an Associated Press survey taken in the aftermath of President Joe Biden's decision to drop his bid for re-election.
Four suicides in New Zealand linked to Ontario's Kenneth Law
New Zealand's coroner has ruled that four of its citizens died after ordering products from an Ontario man who is facing murder charges for selling poisonous substances.
Toronto woman charged with voyeurism after taking 'intimate' photos during massage: police
A Toronto woman who allegedly took 'intimate' photos of an individual who was getting a massage has been charged with voyeurism, police say.
IN PICTURES Here's what Calgary's new event centre 'Scotia Place' will look like
The name of Calgary’s new event centre was unveiled on Monday. The arena will be called Scotia Place.
Harris steps into the limelight. And the coconut trees and memes have followed
If you're trying to get up to speed on Vice President Kamala Harris' swift emergence as Democrats' possible nominee this fall, you really need to know your memes.
These are the four leading vice-presidential picks for Kamala Harris' campaign
No one knows the importance of selecting the right running mate better than Vice President Kamala Harris.