Trans, nonbinary, and other gender nonconforming participants experienced significant barriers to healthcare during COVID-19 lockdowns
A paper, published in Health & Social Care in the Community, reported that trans, nonbinary, and other gender nonconforming (TGNC) participants in the CITF-funded Engage COVID-19 study experienced significant barriers to healthcare during COVID-19 in Canada.
People living with HIV frequently practiced COVID-19 preventative behaviours
A CITF-funded study, published in AIDS Research and Therapy, found that people living with HIV (PLWH) in Canada displayed a high level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviours, including masking, physical distancing, limiting social gatherings, limiting contact with at-risk individuals, self-isolating due to symptoms, and self-quarantining after possible exposure.
Vaccine effectiveness against infection may be lower in people living with HIV with a history of injection drug use
A CITF-funded study, published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society, found that vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection may be lower in people living with HIV (PLWH) with a history of injection drug use (IDU).
High-density peptide array helps identify that selective pressure for immune evasion occurs upon transmission
A CITF-funded study, published in iScience, found that transmission between hosts leads to mutations that cause immune evasion (when the immune system does not recognize a virus and does not mount a fight). The study also offered more evidence that exposure to other seasonal human coronaviruses (hCoV) helps develop a better immune response to SARS-CoV-2.
Third mRNA vaccine dose induced strong humoral responses in participants with chronic kidney disease, with Moderna performing slightly better than Pfizer
A CITF-funded study, published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, showed that a third dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with Moderna (monovalent) given to patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) elicited higher SARS-CoV-2 anti-RBD levels than with the Pfizer (monovalent) vaccine over a six-month period.
Maternal mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy may be protective against adverse newborn outcomes
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.
Seroprevalence due to infection stable at 80% at start of the back-to-school season
The latest CITF-funded report from Canadian Blood Services suggested that seroprevalence due to infection was 80.1% among Canadian blood donors at the end of September 2023. This increased slightly from the 79.0% seroprevalence observed in August 2023.
Third and fourth doses of monovalent and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines provide similar, strong protection against severe outcomes in those 50+
A CITF-funded study, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, reported that third and fourth doses of monovalent and bivalent mRNA vaccines provided similar strong protection against severe outcomes from COVID-19 among community-dwelling adults over the age of 50. However, further follow-up is needed to determine the long-term protection of bivalent vaccines and their effectiveness against newer Omicron variants.
New vaccines in development, including a trivalent vaccine, trigger strong immune responses against all SARS-CoV-2 variants in animal models
A CITF-funded study, published in iScience, developed four spike-based vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and measured antibody and cellular responses. All four – one based on the wildtype (original strain), one based on Beta, one based on Delta and a trivalent vaccine combining all three – produced a strong neutralizing antibody response in an animal model against all SARS-CoV-2 variants, including against the Omicron variant.