NACI provides rationale for extending interval between COVID-19 vaccine doses
SARS-CoV-2 has caused worldwide disruption, morbidity and mortality. Although several vaccines have been approved by regulatory bodies, many countries have been faced with the issue of vaccine shortages. The current COVID-19 vaccines are complex as several require two doses taken weeks apart. Early studies have shown that one dose can be effective in delivering protection, but ultimately two doses are preferred. Many governments have [...]
Rapid point-of-care tests to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are promising, but field results are not ideal
CITF Leadership Group member Dr. Mel Krajden and Muhammad Morshed who receives support from the CITF for another project, along with their team at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Public Health Laboratory, recently evaluated the sensitivity of rapid tests to detect antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in blood samples under different testing settings. The team concluded that while in the laboratory setting using venous [...]
New commercial neutralization assay has modest value added compared to classical alternatives
A study published in pre-print designed and executed by CITF scientific advisors, Dr. Jesse Papenburg, Dr. Matthew Cheng and Dr. Cedric Yansouni, evaluated multiple assays that detect antibodies capable of neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They compared classic neutralization assays to surrogate neutralization assays that measure binding between spike’s receptor binding domain (RBD) and the cellular receptor and immunoassays that measure antibodies against RBD.
COVID-19 should be considered in all hospitalized children
Dr. Jesse Papenburg, one of the CITF’s scientific advisors, collaborated with researchers from 15 paediatric hospitals in Canada, Iran, and Costa Rica to collect information on symptomatic and asymptomatic children up to 17 years old who had a laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and who were admitted to hospital.