Canadian study investigates immune response and vaccine hesitancy among Canada’s South Asian communities
The Government of Canada, through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force and Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group is supporting a new pan-Canadian study that will investigate the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine within the South Asian community.
Recent blood donor data suggest that Canadians still remain vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection
Blood donation organizations to provide important assessment of how long immunity lasts NEWS RELEASE MONTREAL, May 27, 2021 — Results from the latest Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec studies, which together cover all 10 provinces, confirm that from coast-to-coast, Canada’s overall levels of seroprevalence due to SARS-CoV-2 infection remained very low earlier this [...]
New Canada-Wide Research to Study Mixing-and-Matching COVID-19 vaccines
The Government of Canada, through the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and the Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG), is supporting a new nation-wide study that will look at the effects of ‘mixing-and-matching’ approved COVID-19 vaccines in adults. Approximately $4.8 million is being provided for this study, which will assess the safety and effectiveness of using two different COVID-19 vaccines for the first and second dose. The project will also study the effects of increasing the interval between doses.
Canadian researchers studying effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy
The Government of Canada, through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG), is investing approximately $1.3 million for two Canadian research teams to further evaluate vaccine safety and effectiveness in pregnant people.
Preliminary results suggest nearly 6% of Montreal children tested from October to April had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2
Preliminary results from a study underway in Montreal shed important light on the extent to which 2 to 17 years-old have had COVID-19 between last October 2020 and this April 2021. As an overall average, 5.8% of participating children were found to have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Studies being launched to support vaccine effectiveness and safety monitoring across Canada
A consortium of Canadian organizations, including the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Canadian Research Immunization Network (CIRN), the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and the CITF, are collaborating through the Vaccine Surveillance Reference group (VSRG) to identify new studies to support comprehensive vaccine effectiveness and safety monitoring efforts across Canada.
Weaker antibody response to first COVID-19 vaccine dose found in long-term care residents
Results from a University of British Columbia study in long-term care facilities in Vancouver reveal that individuals of advanced age, following the first dose of a two-dose vaccination regimen, are less able to generate as strong an antibody response, both in terms of magnitude and function, compared to adults of younger age.
How well does vaccination work in residents of long-term care homes? Researchers aim to find out.
Long-term care homes have been at the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, with 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths having occurred in long-term care or nursing homes. The Government of Canada, through the CITF, is supporting a study led by McMaster University researchers aimed at understanding how well vaccination works in residents of long-term care homes and which factors may be directly linked to outbreaks.
Researchers investigate COVID-19 among high-risk food workers in Quebec and Ontario
Throughout this pandemic, thousands of Canadians have had to continue working to provide essential services, such as in food production and packing plants, as well as in grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. At times, this has meant working in close proximity to colleagues and customers. The Government of Canada, through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF), is providing approximately $4.5 million to support two studies looking at the impact of various aspects of COVID-19 on food industry workers in Quebec and Ontario.
New study in Quebec long-term care facilities to investigate the science behind why so many residents had severe cases of COVID-19
Across Canada, but particularly in Quebec, long-term care facilities have accounted for a disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths. The Government of Canada, through the CITF, is supporting a new $2.7 million study aimed at identifying the factors putting each person at risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms and medical complications that may lead to a fatal disease.
Three Canadian studies will help determine how many teachers may have had COVID-19
As in-class learning has been affected in much of the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada, through its CITF, is supporting three research projects that will estimate how many teachers and school personnel have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Approximately $2.9 million has been provided for three studies, one each in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, to help further inform decision-making around prevention strategies in neighbourhoods, schools and daycares.
Study underway in Nova Scotia long-term care facilities to determine health factors related to severe COVID-19 outcomes and vaccine effectiveness
Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) is supporting a new study in the Maritimes aimed at determining which health factors cause long-term care residents to experience severe COVID-19 outcomes, including death. The study is investigating vaccine effectiveness in this frail, elderly population over the next year. This $1.9 million study will be carried out by a team of experts in frailty research, immunology, virology, and clinical infectious diseases. The team is led by Dr. Lisa Barrett, an expert in infectious diseases and a clinician scientist at Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health.