Media Releases

Early results from a national study confirm antibody levels are stronger after receiving two doses

Initial preliminary results from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) COVID-19 Antibody Study, based on close to 6,000 dried blood spot samples collected between February 8 and May 17, 2021, show a high degree of variability in the level of antibodies produced by a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. These findings highlight the importance of accelerating second doses as the Delta variant continues to spread, particularly with the vast majority of Canadians having received only a single vaccine dose.

2021-06-23T09:12:41-04:00June 23, 2021|Immune science, Media Releases|

Extensive Study in Canada to Assess COVID-19 Vaccine Immune Responses and Effectiveness among People Living With HIV

People living with HIV are less likely to mount an adequate immune response, which may put them at higher risk for both serious COVID-19 illness and reduced response to COVID-19 vaccination. The Government of Canada, through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG), is investing approximately $1.75 million in a study that will assess the immune responses, safety, and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination for this vulnerable population that has been understudied with respect to COVID-19.

2021-06-23T10:55:29-04:00June 16, 2021|Media Releases|

New study to monitor COVID-19 illness and vaccine safety, effectiveness in children and youth in Canada

The CITF and VSRG are supporting a new pan-Canadian study that will monitor the effects of illness from COVID-19, as well as the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in children and youth. The study will be conducted through Canada’s IMPACT (Immunization Monitoring Program ACTive) network, which has been continuously monitoring multiple pediatric vaccines for more than 30 years.

2021-06-11T08:57:12-04:00June 11, 2021|Media Releases|

Recent blood donor data suggest that Canadians still remain vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Blood donation organizations to provide important assessment of how long immunity lasts   NEWS RELEASE   MONTREAL, May 27, 2021 — Results from the latest Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec studies, which together cover all 10 provinces, confirm that from coast-to-coast, Canada’s overall levels of seroprevalence due to SARS-CoV-2 infection remained very low earlier [...]

New Canada-Wide Research to Study Mixing-and-Matching COVID-19 vaccines

The Government of Canada, through the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and the Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG), is supporting a new nation-wide study that will look at the effects of ‘mixing-and-matching’ approved COVID-19 vaccines in adults. Approximately $4.8 million is being provided for this study, which will assess the safety and effectiveness of using two different COVID-19 vaccines for the first and second dose. The project will also study the effects of increasing the interval between doses.

2021-06-14T09:09:22-04:00May 20, 2021|Media Releases, Vaccine surveillance|

Preliminary results suggest nearly 6% of Montreal children tested from October to April had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Preliminary results from a study underway in Montreal shed important light on the extent to which 2 to 17 years-old have had COVID-19 between last October 2020 and this April 2021. As an overall average, 5.8% of participating children were found to have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

2021-05-17T21:43:27-04:00May 18, 2021|Media Releases, Pediatrics|

Studies being launched to support vaccine effectiveness and safety monitoring across Canada

A consortium of Canadian organizations, including the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Canadian Research Immunization Network (CIRN), the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and the CITF, are collaborating through the Vaccine Surveillance Reference group (VSRG) to identify new studies to support comprehensive vaccine effectiveness and safety monitoring efforts across Canada.

2021-05-10T10:31:01-04:00May 11, 2021|Media Releases, Vaccine surveillance|
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