Booster doses stimulate strong antibody responses, including in older adults
While two doses of COVID-19 vaccine can prevent serious illness in most cases, vaccine-induced immune responses decline naturally over time, which leads to an increased risk of breakthrough infections.
Background rates for blood clotting events in Ontario provide context for COVID-19 vaccine safety assessment
In order to help public health authorities and clinicians to contextualize observed events of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) - an extremely rare but serious blood clot following immunization with the AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine - the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN), including CITF-funded researcher Dr. Jeff Kwong, sought to estimate background rates of selected thromboembolic and coagulation disorders in Ontario from 2015-2020.
A viral-vector COVID-19 vaccine candidate under development
Researchers, including Dr. Ryan Troyer from the University of Western Ontario, who is funded by the CITF, are developing a new vaccine that uses a harmless virus-based delivery vehicle.
How can serosurveys be used in the vaccine era?
In a study led by SeroTracker, CITF-funded researchers and CITF Secretariat employees, the authors present an approach to help interpret serosurvey results and distinguish between infection-acquired and vaccine-induced immunity.
Boosting immunity in the elderly
In a pre-print, not yet peer reviewed, study led by CITF-funded researchers Drs. Andrew Costa and Dawn Bowdish at McMaster University, people in retirement or nursing homes had repeat blood samples taken to measure immunity after the second and third doses of SARS-COV-2 mRNA vaccines.
Canadian Blood Services data reveal evidence of antibody wane among adult population
The latest Canadian Blood Services (CBS) report, from October 2021, indicates that 98% of blood donors sampled had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. This number is largely driven by immunization with at least one vaccine dose, as infection-acquired seroprevalence stayed low, at 4.3%. Results also reveal a downward trend in the mean levels of antibodies across all age groups between September and October, supporting the need [...]
Dried Blood Spot Assays: A Review
Many Canadian serosurveys have opted to use dried blood spot (DBS) tests as a practical means to study population-level SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence.
Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following infection persists for at least 9 months
The exact mechanisms of immune protection to SARS-CoV-2 are still unclear and researchers around the world continue to attempt to address this critical question.
Protocols outlined for HIV-COV: a study of people living with HIV following COVID-19 vaccination
CITF-funded HIV-COV, led by Dr. Aslam Anis from the University of British Columbia, has published the protocols for its pan-Canadian study of people living with HIV who have received, or plan to receive, a COVID-19 vaccine in BMJ Open.