Learning Outcomes
- Understand the Public Health Agency of Canada’s regulatory oversight of laboratories in Canada
- Identify biosafety risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2
- Outline biosafety recommendations for diagnostic activities in a medical laboratory setting
Session Description
The Public Health Agency of Canada regulates laboratories across the country working with hazardous pathogens and toxins. The Agency administers and enforces the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act and Regulations, overseeing biosafety and biosecurity on a national level. The COVID19 pandemic has brought biosafety to the forefront, particularly in medical diagnostic facilities. In this session, the Public Health Agency of Canada will provide an overview of its regulatory authorities and their application to medical laboratories. In addition, a summary of the SARS-CoV2 pathogen risk assessment will be presented, delving into the characteristics of the virus such as pathogenicity, communicability, and the availability of preventative and therapeutic treatments. Finally, biosafety requirements and recommendations for diagnostic facilities will be discussed.