Vaccine surveillance

Incidental SARS-CoV-2 infections found in patients admitted to hospital increased during the Omicron wave

A CITF-funded study, published in Scientific Reports, found that the proportion of incidental SARS-CoV-2 infections increased substantially across the pandemic waves. In particular, the percentage of people who tested positive for COVID-19 upon admission to hospital for something else rose from 10% to 41% during the Omicron wave.

2023-05-15T12:49:08-04:00May 12, 2023|Vaccine surveillance|

In children, longer dosing intervals increase the effectiveness of vaccines but protection wanes fast

In this CITF-funded study published in Pediatrics, Drs. Jeffrey Kwong (University of Toronto) and Kumanan Wilson (University of Ottawa) highlighted that two doses of the monovalent Pfizer-BioNtech mRNA vaccine yielded moderate protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, while protection against severe COVID-19 outcomes was much higher among children between the ages of 5 and 11.

2023-03-21T11:46:45-04:00March 20, 2023|Vaccine surveillance|

In people aged 50 years or older, booster doses sustain the protection against Omicron-related severe outcomes for at least three months

In this CITF-funded study, published in Nature Communications, Dr. Jeffrey Kwong (University of Toronto), along with Drs. Kumanan Wilson and Deshayne Fell (University of Ottawa) found that a third and fourth dose of mRNA vaccine sustained the protection conferred against severe Omicron-related outcomes for at least three months in people aged 50 years or older.

2023-03-21T11:43:21-04:00March 20, 2023|Vaccine surveillance|

Characteristics of Quebec plasma donors used to study COVID-19 immunity

CITF-funded researchers at Héma-Québec, led by Drs. Marc Germain and Renée Bazin, published a paper in BMJ Open reporting on the characteristics of the plasma donors whose samples are used to study COVID-19 immunity in Quebec. More than 86,000 plasma samples have been collected from more than 15,500 individual donors in its COVID-19-focused PlasCOV biobank.

2023-02-28T12:06:04-05:00February 28, 2023|Vaccine surveillance|

Poorer mental health reported in patients with acute SARS-CoV-2 infections needing visits to emergency departments

In a CITF-funded study published in Public Health, Dr. Corinne Hohl (University of British Columbia) revealed that SARS-CoV-2–positive patients who presented to emergency departments reported similar physical health conditions 30 days after discharge, but substantially worse mental health after 30 days compared to their SARS-CoV-2-negative counterparts.

2023-02-20T15:10:32-05:00February 20, 2023|Vaccine surveillance|

Vaccination during pregnancy effective at protecting infants

In a study published in BMJ, CITF-funded researchers Drs. Kumanan Wilson (University of Ottawa), Jeffrey Kwong (University of Toronto), and Deshayne Fell (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute) revealed that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is effective at protecting the newborns from SARS-CoV-2 infections and hospitalizations, particularly during the first two months of life.

2023-02-20T15:06:23-05:00February 20, 2023|Vaccine surveillance|
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