Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, study lead and researcher in the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program at the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre and a professor in the Divisions of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology
Montreal, May 3, 2022 – New findings, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, suggest that people with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) respond well to vaccination and that the COVID-19 vaccines in Canada are highly effective in protecting them against hospitalization from COVID-19. The results of this study are highly pertinent for people living with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (a type of arthritis that characteristically affects the spine), psoriasis (a skin condition), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – the four patient populations included in the study, supported by the Government of Canada, through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF).
Conducted over the period between March 1 and November 22, 2021, the study shows that mRNA vaccines were highly effective (92 to 97 per cent) against severe COVID-19 outcomes (defined as admission to hospital or death due to COVID-19) for individuals living with IMIDs during this period. These individuals often take immunosuppressant therapies, which may compromise their immune system. Thus, they may be more susceptible to severe disease from COVID-19.
Although there was some slight waning in effectiveness against infection over time, vaccination remained highly effective even beyond 120 days after the second dose, and rebounded upon receipt of a third dose.
“The effectiveness of vaccines for Canadians living with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases has not been thoroughly investigated before, primarily due to them being excluded from COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials,” says Dr. Jessica Widdifield, lead author of the study and a scientist in the Holland Bone and Joint Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “Our encouraging findings begin to give a clearer picture of vaccine effectiveness in those with IMIDs.”
“Many of these patients have tried numerous treatments to achieve good disease control and regain function,” explains Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, senior author of the study, a researcher in the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program at the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre and a professor in the Divisions of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine at McGill University.. “At the same time, the drugs patients require to manage their conditions may also increase their susceptibility to infection. These findings, up to November 2021, demonstrate that it is possible for individuals with IMID to achieve adequate protection via COVID vaccination.”
Across all four disease groups, vaccine effectiveness against infection was found to be higher for those who received Moderna’s Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine compared to those who received Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty.
“In Canada, more than seven million people over the age of 16 live with an immune-mediated inflammatory disease,” says Dr. Catherine Hankins, Co-Chair of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. “We funded this research in order to generate evidence that will assist regulators, doctors, and patients in making evidence-based decisions regarding COVID vaccination, not only in the general population, but in populations with specific health issues, such as those with an IMID. All members of society have the right to be adequately protected.”
The study team collected results of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic PCR tests performed on individuals aged 16 and older living with IMIDs in Ontario. Records of vaccination, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19 were also collected for everyone. The study took place when the Alpha and Delta variants of concern were circulating, thus the authors of the study argue that it is important to re-evaluate these findings in the context of Omicron and future waves.
The study is a collaboration of scientists from Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, IC/ES, and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.
More information:
Widdifield J, Kwong JC, Chen S, Eder L, Benchimol EI, Kaplan GG, Hitchon C, Aviña-Zubieta JA, Lacaille D, Chung H, Bernatsky S. Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe outcomes among individuals with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases tested between March 1 and Nov 22, 2021, in Ontario, Canada: a population-based analysis.The Lancet Rheumatology. 2022 Apr 14. Doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(22)00096-0
About Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is inventing the future of health care for the 1.3 million patients the hospital cares for each year through the dedication of its more than 10,000 staff and volunteers. An internationally recognized leader in research and education and a full affiliation with the University of Toronto distinguishes Sunnybrook as one of Canada’s premier academic health sciences centres. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for high-risk pregnancies, critically ill newborns and adults, offering specialized rehabilitation, and treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological and psychiatric disorders, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries. The hospital also has a unique and national leading program for the care of Canada’s war veterans.
About the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC)
The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is a world-renowned biomedical and healthcare research centre. The institute, which is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, is the research arm of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) – an academic health centre located in Montreal, Canada, that has a mandate to focus on complex care within its community. The RI-MUHC supports over 450 researchers and around 1,200 research trainees devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental, clinical and health outcomes research at the Glen and the Montreal General Hospital sites of the MUHC. Its research facilities offer a dynamic multidisciplinary environment that fosters collaboration and leverages discovery aimed at improving the health of individual patients across their lifespan. The RI-MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS). rimuhc.ca
About the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force
The Government of Canada established the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) in late April 2020 to catalyze, support, fund, and harmonize research on SARS-CoV-2 immunity for federal, provincial, and territorial decision-makers in their efforts to protect Canadians and minimize the impact of the COVID-19. To date, the CITF has supported over 100 studies across Canada that are generating critical insights on the levels, trends, nature, and duration of immunity arising from SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination. The CITF is overseen by a Leadership Group of volunteers that includes leading scientists and policymakers from across Canada. The Task Force and its Secretariat work closely with a range of partners, including governments, public health agencies, institutions, health organizations, research teams, other task forces, engaging communities and stakeholders.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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