Geographic & priority populations

A CITF-funded study, published as a preprint and not yet peer-reviewed, aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among South Asians in Ontario compared to non-South Asians. The researchers also assessed the odds of symptomatic COVID-19 infection and related hospitalizations and deaths among non-vaccinated South Asians and non-South Asians.

A CITF-funded study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that people experiencing homelessness had high rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout 2021 and 2022, particularly after the Omicron variant became dominant.

A CITF-funded study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, reported that maternal mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was associated with lower risks of severe neonatal morbidity, neonatal death, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission.

A CITF-funded study, published in Scientific Reports, found that only 48% of people who use drugs (PWUD) had received at least two SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses at baseline in September 2021, much lower than in the general population (70%) in British Columbia at that time.

A CITF-funded study, published in Vaccine, provides further reassurance that COVID-19 vaccination is effective and not harmful during pregnancy. Researchers reported that people – whether pregnant or not - had similar side effects from COVID-19 vaccines.

Many CITF-funded studies focus on Canadian populations as diverse as people experiencing homelessness, incarcerated individuals, people admitted to emergency units, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities.

CITF-funded studies have confirmed that COVID-19 is indeed more severe in many pregnant people, and that pregnant people and their babies respond just as well as the general population to COVID-19 vaccines.

Social and economic inequities, and related unequal access to health resources, increase risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 outcomes. Developing relationships that connect researchers with community and local health leaders fosters trust.

A CITF-funded study, published in BMJ Medicine, reported that pregnant individuals who received a third COVID-19 vaccine dose (first booster dose) during pregnancy had no increased risk of adverse pregnancy, fetal, and neonatal outcomes compared to those who did not receive a third dose. This study was led by Dr. Deshayne Fell (University of Ottawa and CHEO Research Institute).