The new Omicron variant may have a greater ability than other strains of the virus to escape immune protection from antibodies produced by previous COVID-19 infection, and potentially vaccines.
The Omicron variant has caused global panic prompting many countries, including Canada, to impose more stringent travel rules.
Experts say the Omicron variant is unusual because it has a high number of mutations in two key areas of the virus’ spike protein.
Dozens of cases of the variant have been detected across Canada.
The researchers said their study showed test tube samples of the Omicron variant “exceeded” all other COVID-19 variants in its ability to evade the protection gained from previous infection or vaccination.
Youchun Wang, senior research fellow from the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control in China, said the research supports recent findings in South Africa that suggest Omicron finds it “easy to evade immunity.”
“We found the large number of mutations of the Omicron variant did cause significant changes of neutralization sensitivity against people who had already had COVID,” Wang said in a press release.
“However, the average ED50 (protection level) against Omicron is still higher than the baseline, which indicated there is still some protection effect can be observed,” Wang continued.
Wang, the vice chairman of the Medical Microbiology and Immunology of the Chinese Medical Association, cautioned that because antibody protection from either vaccination or previous infection decreases over a period of six months, the variant “may be able to escape immunity even better.”
The study suggests that while a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine “can significantly boost immunity,” the protection it provides from Omicron “may be compromised.”
“In addition, it needs to be re-evaluated whether the therapeutic monoclonal antibodies can still be effective against the Omicron variant,” the study reads.
“More laboratory and the real-world studies are needed to understand whether Omicron can escape from the vaccine elicited immunity to cause more severe disease and death.”
In order to conduct the study, researchers looked at 28 serum samples from patients who were recovering from the original COVID-19 strain, known as SARS-CoV-2.
These were tested against test-tube or in-vitro samples of Omicron and other strains deemed “variants of concern” by the World Health Organization, including Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.
Researchers also tested samples of variants of interest Lambda and Mu.
Wang said the study “verifies the enhanced immune escape” of the Omicron variant, “which sounds the alarm to the world and has important implications for the public health planning and the development of matching strategies.”
However, the team of researchers say more research is needed to better understand the variant, and said real-world studies, not just in-vitro, must be conducted.
The authors said research to determine whether the Omicron variant can “escape from the vaccine elicited immunity to cause more severe disease and death,” must also be conducted.
“It needs to be re-evaluated whether the antibodies can still be effective against the Omicron variant,” the authors wrote in the paper.
“The exact impact to human protection may be influenced by more factors such as the infectivity of Omicron variant relative to other variants to human populations and the viral fitness of Omicron once the humans are infected,” the study reads.
The authors call for “more population studies,” saying research into the level of immune protection and symptoms among people infected with Omicron are needed “to fully establish the global impact of Omicron to the control of [the] COVID-19 pandemic.”
VACCINE DATA SO FAR
Meanwhile on Saturday, researchers in Israel said they found a three-shot course of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provided significant protection against the Omicron variant.
The study released Saturday, was conducted by the Sheba Medical Center and the Health Ministry’s Central Virology Laboratory.
Researchers compared the blood of 20 people who had received two vaccine doses five to six months earlier to 20 individuals who received a booster a month before.
The study found people who received the second dose five or six months ago did “not have neutralization ability against Omicron.”
“They do have some against the Delta (strain,)” Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Sheba told reporters.
“The good news is that with the booster dose it increases about a hundredfold,” she said. “There is a significant protection of the booster dose. It is lower than the neutralization ability against the Delta, about four times lower.”
What’s more, on Wednesday, Pfizer released preliminary data that suggests two doses may not be protective enough to prevent an Omicron COVID-19 infection.
However, the company said that a booster dose increased by 25-fold an individual’s level of antibodies against the Omicron variant.
Pfizer’s findings are preliminary though, meaning they have not yet been peer-reviewed.
With files from CTV News’ Nicole Bogart and Reuters
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
