The Government of Canada, through the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF), is supporting a study that will investigate COVID-19 among the Orthodox Jewish community in the Montreal-area, which has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
The high incidence of COVID-19 in Montreal鈥檚 Orthodox Jewish community prompted the Refuah V鈥機hesed medical clinic in the Mile End neighbourhood of the city to reach out to researchers at 91社区鈥檚 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences for a collaborative study. The Refuah V鈥機hesed medical clinic serves the Orthodox Jewish community throughout Quebec.
鈥淥ur first aim is to determine how prevalent immunity to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), is in the Orthodox Jewish community, whether through infection or vaccination or both, acknowledging members鈥� shared genetics and health issues, beliefs and behaviours,鈥� explains study Principal Investigator Dr. Peter Nugus, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the Institute of Health Sciences Education at 91社区. 鈥淭his is a rare occasion to enact a mixed-methods and interdisciplinary approach to understand the relationship between how disease manifests in a population and how community members understand health and illness and behave in response.鈥�
The team is taking blood samples from 1,250 participants before and after vaccination to study immune responses. This also includes examining the response to SARS-CoV-2 variants. The team will survey all participants, perform in-depth interviews with individual participants, and conduct participant-observation within the Orthodox Jewish community to best understand members鈥� everyday lives and challenges.
鈥淏eyond understanding the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in this community, this study will achieve a second aim: to see how this community can better inform policy for other marginalized communities in Canada,鈥� adds Dr. Nugus. 鈥淐ompliance with public health directives is greater when policies resonate with people and how they live their everyday lives. Better understanding of local beliefs and practices can aid in the adoption of policies within such close-knit groups.鈥�
鈥淩efuah V鈥機hesed has played a crucial role in managing COVID-19 among our Orthodox Jewish communities, which were greatly affected by the pandemic and are still at risk of more infections,鈥� states Mr. Aron Friedlander, Senior Medical Liaison for Refuah V鈥機hesed: The Montreal Centre for Health and Care. 鈥淲e are happy to partner with researchers at 91社区 for this study that will help us to better understand immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in our communities and plan to protect families during future COVID-19 outbreaks.鈥�
鈥淭his study will use a truly novel mixed-methods approach with this at-risk, community that we鈥檇 like to better understand, while providing guidance for future policy making,鈥� says Dr. Tim Evans, CITF Executive Director. 鈥淏eyond understanding the extent of infection in the community and vaccine uptake, many other factors will be explored, particularly the relationship between beliefs and behaviours related to health and illness. The study will also shed light on the emergence of variants, including the nature and effectiveness of immune responses following vaccination to control SARS-CoV-2 infection or re-infection.鈥�
About the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force
The Government of Canada established the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force in late April 2020. The Task Force is overseen by a Leadership Group of volunteers that includes leading Canadian scientists and experts from universities and healthcare
facilities across Canada who are focused on understanding the nature of immunity arising from the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. To that end, the CITF is supporting numerous studies to determine the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Canada (in the general population as well as in specific communities and priority populations), understand the nature of immunity following infection, develop improved antibody testing methods, and help monitor the effectiveness and safety of vaccines as they are rolled out 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, and engages communities and stakeholders. The Task Force鈥檚 overall objective is to generate data and ideas that inform interventions aimed at slowing鈥攁nd ultimately stopping鈥攖he spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Canada. For more information
visit:
Media contacts:
COVID-19 Immunity Task Force: media [at] covid19immunitytaskforce.ca Rebecca Burns
Cell: +1.438.871.8763
Caroline Phaneuf
Cell: +1.514.444.4532
Image聽(L to R): Peter Nugus, Sociology; Fernanda Claudio, Anthropology; Tracie Barnett, Epidemiology; Ciriaco Piccirillo, Immunology; J枚rg Fritz, Immunology; Tibor Schuster, Biostatistics; Aron Friedlander, Senior Medical Liaison, Refuah V鈥機hesed; Peter Steinmetz, Medical Director, Clinic, Refuah v Chesed