Better understanding of long COVID
Recent studies published in CMAJ by CITF-affiliated expert Dr. Angela Cheung (University of Toronto) and her team discussed how post-COVID-19 condition, otherwise known as long COVID, could be diagnosed in adults.
Omicron infection in long-term care
A study by CITF-affiliated experts Drs. Andrew Costa (McMaster University) and Jeffrey Kwong (University of Toronto) assessed the extent of waning immunity among long-term care (LTC) residents in Ontario.
Hybrid immunity confers greater protection than vaccine-acquired immunity
Due to the significant rise in the number of infections during the Omicron period and the widespread adoption of vaccines, a greater proportion of Canadians now have hybrid immunity – defined as immunity acquired from both prior infections and vaccination.
Treating pediatric patients who suffer from severe cases of COVID-19
While children have largely been spared from severe COVID-19 disease compared to adults and seniors, some have still suffered serious outcomes requiring medical intervention and hospitalization.
What can we expect from the COVID-19 pandemic this fall in Canada?
With the arrival of a 7th wave of the pandemic this summer – when we had hoped for some temporary respite from the onslaught of SARS-CoV-2 infections – we approached CITF-affiliated experts for answers to some of the most pressing and perplexing questions about COVID-19.
Fourth vaccine dose proved highly effective at protecting Ontario’s long-term care residents
A recent study demonstrates that a fourth dose of mRNA vaccine was highly effective at protecting residents of long-term care facilities against severe COVID-19 outcomes (86%), symptomatic infection (69%), and any SARS-CoV-2 infection (49%) during the Omicron-fuelled fifth wave.
Risk factors for severe COVID-19 in hospitalized children in Canada: A national prospective study from March 2020–May 2021
In this pre-print, not yet peer-reviewed, led by CITF-affiliated researchers CITF-affiliated researchers Dr. Shaun Morris from the University of Toronto and Dr. Fatima Kakkar of the Université de Montréal, along with Dr. Jesse Papenburg (McGill University), Dr. Manish Sadarangani (University of British Columbia), and Dr. Karina Top (Dalhousie University) and other investigators sought to identify factors associated with severe disease among hospitalized children with COVID-19 in Canada.
A long road to recovery for some: A closer look at long COVID
Long COVID, also known as post-COVID condition, is defined by a wide range of physical and mental health problems that linger for about 4-to-12 weeks after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, and occasionally, longer.
Wastewater surveillance proves a critical tool to monitor SARS-CoV-2 prevalence
As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and clinical testing is generally limited to diagnostic purposes in healthcare facilities, the full extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection is largely unknown.