Study confirms risk of myocarditis/pericarditis after a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine is rare
A paper by Drs. Naveed Janjua and Zaeema Naveed (British Columbia Centre for Disease Control), and CITF-funded researchers from the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN), including Dr. Jeff Kwong (University of Toronto), published a paper in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that evaluated the odds of developing myocarditis or pericarditis as a result of receiving two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
Infection-acquired seroprevalence increases moderately in early October: Canadian Blood Services
According to Canadian Blood Services, the infection-acquired antibody rate increased moderately from 65.4% in the last week of September to 66.3% by mid-October, consistent with the continued circulation of Omicron subvariants. Seroprevalence due to infection surpassed 80% among young donors (17-24 years of age) and 70% among the most materially deprived.
Characteristics of Quebec plasma donors used to study COVID-19 immunity
CITF-funded researchers at Héma-Québec, led by Drs. Marc Germain and Dr. Renée Bazin, published a preprint, not yet peer reviewed, reporting on the characteristics of the plasma donors whose samples are used to study COVID-19 immunity in Quebec.
How sexual minority men have adapted their sexual behaviours during the pandemic
In a CITF-funded study published in Culture, Health, and Sexuality, Dr. Daniel Grace (University of Toronto) and his team addressed how public health measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the sexual practices of gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minority men.
Héma-Québec estimates that 62% of adults in Quebec had been infected with the Omicron variant by the end of August 2022
Héma-Québec estimates that 62% of Quebecers who donated plasma had acquired antibodies following an infection with Omicron by the end of August 2022.
Infection-acquired seroprevalence continued to increase in September: Canadian Blood Services.
Consistent with the continued prevalence of the Omicron variants (predominantly BA.4, BA.5 and BA.5 subvariants), infection-acquired seropositivity continues to increase among blood donors, up to 65.41% by the end of September, from 60% in the last week of August. These data come from Canadian Blood Services.
Identification of Important genetic indicators of COVID-19 outcomes
Research carried out at the CITF-funded Biobanque québécoise de la COVID-19 (BQC19), published in PLOS Genetics by Drs. Guillaume Butler-Laporte, Brent Richards, and Vincent Mooser (McGill University), showed that those with a rare deleterious variant (disease causing variant) in the SARS-CoV-2 sensor toll-like receptor TLR7 gene (on chromosome X in the host) were associated with a 5.3-fold increase in severe disease.
Is one vaccine dose enough for individuals who have recovered from a SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Research stemming from the CITF-funded RECOVER study, published in Frontiers in Immunology, indicates that a two-dose primary series of vaccination is paramount for protection against COVID-19, even for those who were previously infected. Individuals who did not experience symptoms during their SARS-CoV-2 infection and had no antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (negative serostatus) prior to vaccination show weaker immune responses to each vaccine dose than their symptomatic counterparts.
Vaccine-induced immune responses are as durable in people living with HIV as in people without HIV
A CITF-funded study, published in preprint, and not yet peer-reviewed, from Mark Brockman and Zabrina Brumme (Simon Fraser University and BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS), along with Drs. Aslam Anis and Marc Romney (University of British Columbia) showed that the antibody responses induced by a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine were as durable in people living with HIV (PLWH) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) as in individuals without HIV.