The COVID-19 Immunity Task Force’s mandate
On April 23, 2020, the Government of Canada launched the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF). We are charged with leading a Canada-wide effort to help determine the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Canada (in the general population as well as in specific communities and priority populations), understand the nature of immunity following infection, and develop improved antibody testing methods. In December 2020, the Task Force was assigned an additional role in vaccine surveillance and, in addition, the Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group was formed.
The Task Force’s mandate supports the implementation of relevant research projects, aligning studies across Canada, and seeking to provide useful information to federal, provincial, and territorial decision-makers as they oversee responses to the COVID-19 pandemic to best protect Canadians.
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.
Research Spotlight
Three Canadian studies will help determine how many teachers may have had COVID-19
As in-class learning has been affected in much of the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CITF is supporting three research projects that will estimate how many teachers and school personnel have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The three studies, one each in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, will help further inform decision-making around prevention strategies in neighbourhoods, schools and daycares.
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CITF-funded Research Results
Immune cell analysis reveals that the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in the blood is a strong predictor of mortality
As SARS-CoV-2 continues to cause worldwide mortality, it has become increasingly important to define molecular markers that can identify individuals at risk of developing severe COVID-19, and even death. This could help in determining early preventive measures for improved patient outcomes. In a recent pre-print and therefore not yet peer-reviewed, [...]
Using a glowing SARS-CoV-2 virus and mice to explain how antibodies protect from infection and severe disease
An international multisite research collaboration, including CITF-funded researcher Dr. Andrés Finzi from the Université de Montréal, used genetically modified mice that mimic COVID-19 disease in humans to study how antibodies from people who have recovered from COVID-19 could prevent severe disease in other people. The authors concluded that these antibodies [...]
Weaker antibody response to first COVID-19 vaccine dose found in long-term care residents
New data stemming from a study in British Columbia evaluating the strength and magnitude of antibody responses following one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine indicate that older adults generate a much weaker antibody response to one vaccine dose compared to younger adults. These findings (in preprint and therefore not yet [...]
Latest News
SeroTracker: the SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance knowledge hub
SeroTracker is a knowledge hub we support that tracks findings from SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance efforts worldwide. Peruse the map and see how many people worldwide are estimated to have been infected with 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
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Seeking information on vaccine procurement and advice?
For those seeking information on vaccine procurement and advice, please note that it is the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force that advises the federal government on COVID-19 vaccine procurement and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization that advises the federal, provincial and territorial governments on vaccine delivery policy and priorities.