Despite the fact that pregnant individuals were prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination in late April 2021, a CITF-funded study, published in Vaccine, showed that COVID-19 vaccine coverage with at least one dose among pregnant individuals (71.2%) remained lower than in the general population of reproductive-age females (88%) at the end of 2021.
A CITF-funded study published in the International Journal of Prisoner Health, showed that approximately 59% of incarcerated people who use drugs reported decreased use of opioids since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
The 6th report from the CITF-funded Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) Ontario study that has not been peer-reviewed, led by Dr. Deshayne Fell (University of Ottawa), shows that 78% of pregnant individuals in Ontario had received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy by the end of September 2022.
In a CITF-funded study published in Culture, Health, and Sexuality, Dr. Daniel Grace (University of Toronto) and his team addressed how public health measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the sexual practices of gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minority men.
A preprint, not yet peer-reviewed, from a CITF-funded study led by Dr. Sonia Anand (McMaster University) focused on the South Asian community to demonstrate that understanding factors such as community dynamics, language, and cultural context can help build vaccine confidence and acceptance among diverse population groups.
Among individuals who were pregnant in May 2022, nearly 80% had received two or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy, which is low compared to the general female population of reproductive age in Ontario (approximately 91%).
A CITF-funded study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, from Dr. Sharon Straus (University of Toronto) and her team, shows that wastewater surveillance was an effective technique for detecting an outbreak of COVID-19 in a Toronto homeless shelter before cases were otherwise identified. This process served as an early warning signal and allowed the timely preventive screening of residents.
In a paper published in BMJ Open, Drs. Jesse Jenkinson, Stephen Hwang (MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, University of Toronto) and colleagues outlined their study protocol for characterizing COVID-19 vaccine uptake and hesitancy among people experiencing homelessness in Toronto.
In a CITF-funded study published in BMJ and led by Dr. Deshayne Fell from the University of Ottawa and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, researchers explored whether COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy had an effect on preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age at birth, and stillbirth.
A CITF-funded study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, from the Canadian National Vaccine Safety (CANVAS) Network, led by Drs. Julie Bettinger and Manish Sadarangani (University of British Columbia/British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute.