A CITF-funded study, published in Science of the Total Environment, reported a new method for molecular detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 has become a promising tool for estimating population-level changes in community infections, including the changing prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
A CITF-funded study, published in the Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, highlighted that using self-collected dried blood spot (DBS) samples to assess the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responses in older people is feasible and offers acceptable results.
A CITF-funded study, published in Pathogens and Immunity, found that adults 65 years and older show strong CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses after receiving two COVID-19 mRNA vaccine doses, which increased significantly after the third dose.
Studying the immune responses of older Canadians to infections and to vaccines has helped to inform the appropriate timing for booster vaccines in this vulnerable population, especially those living in long-term care (LTC) homes.
A CITF-funded study, published in eClinicalMedicine found that residents of long-term care and retirement homes who had a SARS-CoV-2 infection early in the Omicron wave were more susceptible to get infected with a later Omicron variant than those who had never been infected or who had been infected with pre-Omicron variants.
A CITF-funded study, published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, reported that individuals 90 years and older had higher levels of infection-acquired SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and more efficient antibody neutralization than younger groups (under 65, and 65-89), but their antibodies decayed at a faster rate.
A CITF-funded study, published in preprint and not yet peer-reviewed, found that adults, including older adults (65-93 years), mount robust T-cell responses to two- and three-dose COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.
The digital research platform used by a CITF-funded study, Safety and Efficacy of Preventative COVID Vaccines (STOPCoV), was easy to use and popular, including among those aged 70+. Although only 33% of participants (ranging in age from 30 to above 70 years) had previously participated in clinical research, 95% were very satisfied with their participation and 90% indicated that they would participate in research again.
A CITF-funded study, published in iScience, found that third and fourth vaccine doses yielded significant and durable antibody responses in community-dwelling older Canadians, comparable to the levels observed in younger adults.
A CITF-funded study published in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (JAMDA), led by Drs. Dawn Bowdish and Andrew Costa from McMaster University, showed that among residents of long-term care facilities, there was a lower risk of an Omicron infection.