The COVID-19 Immunity Task Force’s mandate
On April 23, 2020, the Government of Canada launched the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF). The Task Force’s mandate is to catalyze, support, fund and harmonize knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 immunity for federal, provincial, and territorial decision-makers in their efforts to protect Canadians and minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Priority Areas of Research
Immune Science
Advancing our understanding of immunity: Is immunity a given once someone has had COVID-19? How long does it last? Are there factors that make immunity wane faster?
Seroprevalence Studies
Collecting serologic data: How many Canadians have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, suggesting they’ve had COVID-19? Are some populations more likely to get SARS-CoV-2 and how could we better protect them?
Immune Testing
Fine-tuning methods for accurate serologic testing: Which tests can detect the new variants? Are there antibody tests that can be developed giving us results in minutes?
Vaccine Surveillance
Supporting research partners from across Canada in a new collaboration that will study vaccine effectiveness and safety in the population at large and in high-priority groups.
Boosters
Understanding when and if the general population and sub-groups such as long-term care residents, racialized communities or Indigenous Peoples need booster shots.
Pediatric Vaccination
Researching the safety, effectiveness and immunogenicity of vaccines in children under 12 to help inform the roll out of vaccines.
Immunity Modelling
Modelling trends in the overall immunity across Canada arising from infection and vaccination.
CITF Monthly Review
February 2023 issue
In this month’s issue, we’d like to highlight:
- Data in the CITF Databank allow more researchers to study the risk from frontline work, on pages 2-3.
- New seroprevalence data on younger Canadians having higher seroprevalence across the country, on pages 4-5.
- Spotlights on some of the latest CITF-funded research, including howhybrid immunity is most effective against the latest Omicron variants, on pages 6-7.
- More!
CITF-funded Research Results
Kids’ time spent on screens and outdoor activity affected by lockdown stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
A CITF-funded study, published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, found that children under 5 years of age had greater increases in screen use, but lower increases in physical activity and outdoor play time compared to children between the ages of 5 and 12 during COVID-19 lockdowns. This study was led by Dr. Jonathan Maguire (University of Toronto).
Risk of myocarditis or pericarditis remains low in adolescents after Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination
A CITF-funded study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, reported that among adolescents the risk of myocarditis or pericarditis after receiving the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine varies according to age and sex. There is some evidence to suggest an increased risk with shorter intervals between doses 1 and 2.
In children, longer dosing intervals increase the effectiveness of vaccines but protection wanes fast
In this CITF-funded study published in Pediatrics, Drs. Jeffrey Kwong (University of Toronto) and Kumanan Wilson (University of Ottawa) highlighted that two doses of the monovalent Pfizer-BioNtech mRNA vaccine yielded moderate protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, while protection against severe COVID-19 outcomes was much higher among children between the ages of 5 and 11.
Latest News
SeroTracker expands its SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance hub
CITF-funded SeroTracker has added to its knowledge hub that tracks findings from SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance efforts worldwide and in Canada. Peruse the maps and graphs and see how many people in this country (by province & territory as well) and around the world are estimated to have been infected with or vaccinated against this coronavirus to date (based on published research).
Explore SeroTracker
What is serosurveillance and why is it important?
Serosurveillance is a common way of seeing how many people have been previously infected with a certain infectious agent, in this case SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. Blood samples from hundreds of thousands of Canadians are currently being tested to check levels of antibodies, which suggest a past infection. Serosurveillance can also help determine priority groups for vaccination and will be used to monitor the effectiveness of vaccines.
What does “vaccine surveillance” mean?
Vaccine surveillance includes studies of vaccine effectiveness (how good vaccines are at preventing severe disease, new infections, and transmission) and safety (identifying and quantifying the vaccine adverse effects). Although vaccines go through numerous trials before being approved for use, it is crucial to monitor their effectiveness and safety within a broader population and with various population groups (children, pregnant women, elderly, etc.).
See all FAQs
What is serosurveillance and why is it important?
Serosurveillance is a common way of seeing how many people have been previously infected with a certain infectious agent, in this case SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. Blood samples from hundreds of thousands of Canadians are currently being tested to check levels of antibodies, which suggest a past infection. Serosurveillance can also help determine priority groups for vaccination and will be used to monitor the effectiveness of vaccines.
What does “vaccine surveillance” mean?
Vaccine surveillance includes studies of vaccine effectiveness (how good vaccines are at preventing severe disease, new infections, and transmission) and safety (identifying and quantifying the vaccine adverse effects). Although vaccines go through numerous trials before being approved for use, it is crucial to monitor their effectiveness and safety within a broader population and with various population groups (children, pregnant women, elderly, etc.).
See all FAQs
