Media Releases

Montreal, May 3, 2022 – New findings, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, suggest that people with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) respond well to vaccination and that the COVID-19 vaccines in Canada are highly effective in protecting them against hospitalization from COVID-19. The results of this study are highly pertinent for people living with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (a type of arthritis that characteristically affects the spine), psoriasis (a skin condition), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – the four patient populations included in the study, supported by the Government of Canada, through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF).

Vancouver, April 6, 2022 - As many jurisdictions in Canada begin to ease public health measures intended to limit serious cases and fatalities caused by COVID-19, new research from the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) suggests many people remain at risk of serious disease. The Government [...]

Ottawa, Ontario | Public Health Agency of Canada Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is continually guided by the latest science, evidence and research. To that end, the Government of Canada is actively working with a community of national and international experts to gather evidence on the health impacts of the pandemic, as well [...]

The COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and the Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG) are supporting a new study that will work with three First Nations communities to investigate vaccine hesitancy, the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine and health outcomes after vaccination within those communities. As of November 9, 2021, according to Indigenous Services [...]

New research from McMaster University, aimed at understanding the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines, found some long-term care residents no longer had high antibody levels months after their second dose, directly supporting government decisions to provide third doses.

McMaster University scientists are conducting research on the long-term illness suffered by some patients after they’ve recovered from COVID-19, which may be caused by immune dysfunction.

The Government of Canada, through the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF), is supporting a study that will investigate COVID-19 among the Orthodox Jewish community in the Montreal-area, which has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

More than 7 million Canadians suffer from immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and related conditions. It is important that they too be protected from COVID-19, yet the effectiveness and safety of vaccines for Canadians with these health issues has not been thoroughly investigated. The COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG) are supporting a nationwide study that will assess COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, safety and vaccine hesitancy in this potentially vulnerable group of people.