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 year, as the roll-out of vaccines started ramping up. [...]
‘Made-in-Canada’ assays perform well to measure seroprevalence
A recent preprint, not yet peer reviewed, by CITF Testing Working Group members Dr. Anne-Claude Gingras from University of Toronto, and Dr. Steven Drews from Canadian Blood Services, compared multiple assays and concluded ‘Made-in-Canada’ ones performed well.
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.
Vaccination should be mandatory for health care workers: article now available in French
Provincial and territorial governments in Canada should instate mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for health care workers in both public and private settings, according to an article, now available in both English and French, in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
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.
Montreal pediatric study releases preliminary results: infection rates increasing among children, parents eager to get their children vaccinated
Dr. Kate Zinszer, from the Université de Montréal, and her EnCORE study team have released interim non-peer reviewed results suggesting a marked increase in seroprevalence among Montreal children aged 2-17 years-old in recent months.
Not all retirement homes have the same COVID-19 risk for residents
Dr. Andrew Costa, from McMaster University, and colleagues, have studied the risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks at retirement homes or assisted living facilities in Ontario.