Antibody wane being observed yet breakthrough infections rare: Latest Canadian Blood Services report
In their latest report, Canadian Blood Services reveals that 97% of blood donors sampled in September had evidence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 acquired through immunization with at least one vaccine dose and/or a past infection. This number is largely driven by vaccination as infection-acquired seroprevalence remained low in September - at 4.4% - despite the ongoing fourth wave. September results show evidence of antibody [...]
Delaying second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine produces stronger immune response
The first peer-reviewed study in North America examining the timing between the first and second doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines shows that a longer dose interval leads to a stronger immune response. The study is funded by the Government of Canada through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF). Principal investigator Dr. Brian Grunau, Assistant Professor in UBC’s Department of Emergency Medicine and Scientist at [...]
How adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease treated with immunosuppressive drugs respond to COVID-19 vaccination
In a letter published in Gut, Dr. Kevan Jacobson, Dr. Pascal Lavoie and collaborators from the University of British Columbia report modestly lower antibody levels in adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years, with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who are on the anti-TNF-a anti-inflammatory therapy infliximab in combination with other immunosuppressive drugs or given as monotherapy, after a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine.
Low transmission of SARS-CoV-2 observed in kindergarten to grade 12 schools in British Columbia
Drs. Pascal Lavoie and Louise Mâsse from the University of British Columbia and their team have released new findings from their CITF-funded study of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Vancouver schools.
Making life easier for researchers doing systematic reviews of seroprevalence studies
Researchers at CITF-funded Serotracker present a new automated tool designed for risk of bias assessment (ROB).
Solid organ transplant recipients mount weaker T cell responses to mRNA vaccines than they do to SARS-CoV-2 infections
An article published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases by CITF-funded researcher Dr. Deepali Kumar at the University of Toronto evaluated T cell responses in 50 solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) who demonstrated prior COVID-19 infection.
Study of paramedics in Canada reaffirms that longer intervals between vaccine doses is better
New evidence stemming from a CITF-funded study of Canadian paramedics shows that getting two doses of an mRNA vaccine 6-to-7-weeks apart produces higher levels of antibodies compared to two doses 3-to-4-weeks apart, as recommended by the manufacturers.
Social inequalities in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake for children and adolescents in Montreal
As part of their CITF-funded COVID-19 cohort study, Dr. Kate Zinszer and Dr. Caroline Quach from the Université de Montréal, along with colleagues, examined whether parents from certain socioeconomic backgrounds or racialized groups were more – or less – inclined to have their child or adolescent vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccine coverage among pregnant individuals in Ontario
In their third report, CITF-funded researcher Dr. Deshayne Fell and her team at the Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) in Ontario found that 58.7% of people who were pregnant in September 2021 had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy. Since pregnant individuals are considered a high-risk population for COVID-19 complications based on higher rates of hospitalization, ICU admission, and death, compared [...]