Researchers moved at an incredibly fast pace to develop vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and within a year of the World Health Organization declaring the pandemic, nearly 200 million vaccine doses had been distributed worldwide. The global demand for vaccines, however, meant that some countries, including Canada, opted to extend the time between doses beyond vaccine manufacturers’ recommendations. Our study, called Immunogenicity of current SARS-CoV-2 vaccine schedules currently used in Canada, is looking at the level of protection people have after a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and after a second dose with this extended dosing schedule. We are also determining why some people do not develop adequate protection (non-responders) even when receiving all vaccine doses on a recommended schedule.

Our study includes a group of healthcare workers in British Columbia and also builds on data being collected in two other CITF-funded studies: one which follows paramedics in British Columbia and Ontario (CORSIP), the other which follows teachers in British Columbia (BCCHR Tracking COVID-19 for Safer Schools). We are comparing the immune response and protection resulting from different vaccine schedules by measuring people’s antibody levels at two and four weeks after each vaccine dose, as well as six months post-first dose and two months post-second dose.

We are also determining if a person’s pre-existing T cells or antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and other common circulating coronaviruses (cCoVs) have an effect on the COVID-19 immune response after the first, second and third vaccine dose. This will also provide insight into how physical distancing measures may have disrupted the population’s immune protection against other common respiratory infections.

The third objective of our study is to investigate the vaccine immune response in adolescents and children with inflammatory bowel diseases treated with immunosuppressive drugs. We will compare their responses to those of adults, healthy adolescents, and healthy children.

Our study results will help increase our understanding of the factors that contribute to overall vaccine immune response in Canadians and may provide new avenues to improve vaccine efficacy in non-responders.

While many businesses and other organizations in Canada have had work-from-home policies throughout the pandemic, primary and secondary schools have largely reopened for in-class activities. The goal of reopening has been to give children the best options for their education and well-being, but it has also meant increased risk for teachers and other school workers of contracting COVID-19. As well, the protective measures implemented may place significant stress on the school community.

Our study is evaluating a group of staff and students in the Vancouver School District to determine how many have previously been infected with COVID-19. We are determining the risk of exposure to the virus in schools, and the effects of the pandemic on participants’ mental health. We are also monitoring vaccine uptake among teachers, to determine how many agree to be vaccinated and whether antibodies are detected in their blood after vaccination.

Study participants are providing blood samples which we test for antibodies to the virus to determine how many people have been exposed to COVID-19 without their knowledge. This allows us to estimate the level of virus transmission within the school setting compared to the community at large. When a staff member or student tests positive for COVID-19, we are testing their close contacts for COVID-19 with a mouth rinse gargle test that was first evaluated and implemented at BC Children’s Hospital.

Our research results will contribute to the development of further interventions and policies to make schools as safe as possible for educators, students and their families.