Publications from our Experts

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating for long-term care (LTC) residents and their communities.

Researchers, including CITF-supported researcher Dr. Angela Cheung, conducted a systematic review to document the prevalence of post-COVID-19 symptoms in people in the short term (4-12 weeks after being diagnosed with COVID-19), as well as in the long term (after more than 12 weeks post-diagnosis).

The risk of death from COVID-19 for patients receiving hemodialysis is 25% - much higher than in the general population. One of the reasons for this is that hemodialysis patients have compromised immune systems.

CITF Leadership Group member Dr. Gina Ogilvie and VSRG Working Group member Dr. Manish Sadarangani have found, in a study published in BMC Public Health, that nearly 80% of British Columbians intend to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Patients with chronic kidney disease, including those on dialysis, have been prioritized for vaccination due to increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes such as hospitalization and death.

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appeared that a hyperinflammatory state was responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in adults with acute COVID-19.

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increased interest in vitamin D and its role in supporting innate immune responses to respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.

Some of our experts are involved in the testing of Canadian COVID-19 vaccines. Two recent pre-prints highlight promising results from Providence Therapeutics’ mRNA vaccine and from Medicago’s plant-based vaccine.

In a recent publication in the American Journal of Infection Control, CITF Leadership Group member Dr. Mel Krajden and colleagues in British Columbia conducted a serological survey of long-term care (LTC) residents and staff following outbreaks at two facilities.