Antibody trends in the first 11 months of 2021: Canadian Blood Services
In a paper published in Microbiology Spectrum, researchers with Canadian Blood Services (CBS) point to the changing patterns of infection-acquired and vaccine-induced seroprevalence, observed between January and November 2021.
February’s infection-acquired seropositivity rate twice that of January 2022: Canadian Blood Services
Infection-acquired seropositivity increased throughout February 2022, averaging out to 23.7% for the month - double January’s rate of 12.1% - according to data from Canadian Blood Services.
Is one vaccine dose enough for individuals who have recovered from a SARS-CoV-2 infection?
New research stemming from the CITF-funded RECOVER study indicates that a two-dose primary series of vaccination is paramount for protection against COVID-19, even for those who were previously infected.
Vancouver public school staff were not at higher risk of COVID-19 infection in schools in 2020-2021, before Delta and Omicron
In a study now published in BMJ Open, Drs. Pascal Lavoie and Louise Mâsse and their team at the University of British Columbia found that school staff were not at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection at school, compared to the local community, in the 2020-2021 academic school year.
COVID-19’s toll on South Asians living in Ontario
Nearly a quarter (23.6%) of a sample of South Asians living primarily in Ontario’s Peel Region1 had evidence of prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 by the end of the third viral wave in July 2021.
Elevated levels of anxiety and psychological distress among Vancouver school staff in 2021
New results from a CITF-funded study led by University of British Columbia researchers Drs. Pascal Lavoie and Louise Mâsse, and published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports indicates that 18.7% of school staff in Vancouver reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety.
35% more Canadian blood donors had infection-acquired antibodies by mid-February 2022
In its latest report, Canadian Blood Services revealed the toll of Omicron’s spread through mid-February 2022. Not only did 22.7% of all blood donors experience a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, but this rate represented a 35% jump during the 22-day sampling period (January 24 – February 15).
People with HIV show normal antibody longevity after dual COVID-19 vaccination, and strong third dose responses
In a pre-print, not yet peer reviewed, Drs. Zabrina Brumme and Mark Brockman from Simon Fraser University and the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and members of the Canadian HIV Trials Network, led by Dr. Aslam Anis from the University of British Columbia, demonstrated that responses to COVID-19 vaccines in people living with HIV (PLWH) are similar to those in controls without HIV.
Canadian study shows no significant association between COVID-19 vaccination and adverse peripartum outcomes
In a paper published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), CITF-funded researchers Drs. Deshayne Fell and Kumanan Wilson of the University of Ottawa and Dr. Jeffrey Kwong from the University of Toronto and colleagues found that COVID-19 vaccination was not significantly associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.