AVC contributes to provincial and federal efforts to fight COVID-19
The Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island has stepped up to the fight against the COVID-19 virus through its people, technology, and professional services.
The College’s Diagnostic Services unit, led by director Elizabeth Dobbin, has agreed to loan equipment to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, expanding the province’s testing capacity for COVID-19. A high throughput KingFisher Nucleic Acid Extractor, which extracts RNA, will be transferred to the QEH from the Regional Diagnostic Virology Service led by Dr. Carmencita Yason, and training will be provided to QEH technologists in its use. As well, a Bio-Rad CFX96 qPCR (polymerase chain reaction) machine from a laboratory run by Dr. Mark Fast, professor of fish health and immunology at AVC, has also been committed to the QEH.
Designated an essential service at AVC, Diagnostic Services continues to provide state-of-the-art testing services to clients in Atlantic Canada and around the world, while ensuring its staff are working in a safe environment in accordance with social distancing and other restrictions put in place to minimize risk.
The AVC Veterinary Teaching Hospital is also an essential service, fulfilling its mandate to provide top-notch veterinary care for animals. Under guidelines provided by public health officials, the hospital continues to see patients from the Atlantic provinces on an urgent and emergency case basis.
AVC faculty are supporting the provincial and federal governments in their work to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on populations here and across the country. Dr. Javier Sanchez, professor and epidemiologist, is a leading member of the team modelling the potential impact of COVID-19 on PEI, along with Dr. Thitiwan Patanasatienku, postdoctoral fellow. Both Drs. Sanchez and Patanasatienku are graduates of AVC’s world-renowned epidemiology graduate program.
Other alumni are contributing through their roles with the PEI government, including Dr. Marguerite Cameron, acting provincial epidemiologist; Dr. Karen MacDonald-Phillips, epidemiologist; Dr. Tim Burnley, health information specialist; Dr. Ahmed Elmoslemany, health information specialist; Dr. Carolyn Sanford, provincial veterinarian and Dr. Ibrahim Elsohaby, veterinary epidemiologist. They are making major contributions to the province’s effort to minimize COVID-19 cases and maintain the safety of food supply chains.
The Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Diagnostic Services, and individual researchers have also set aside personal protective equipment for provision to health-care workers should the need arise. In response to a call for assistance, AVC recently donated almost 16,000 sterile swabs to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
“The AVC community has risen to the challenges of this difficult time,” said Dean Greg Keefe. “I want to express my deep pride in, and gratitude to, them for their fast response and hard work to ensure that the College continues to fulfill its mandate of teaching, research, and service under the constraints imposed by the current situation.”
