The Government of Canada to measure the scope of coronavirus infection in Canada and rapidly provide information needed to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and safely get Canadians back to work.
The COVID-19 Immunity Task Force will generate this vital information, drawing on experts from universities and hospitals across Canada and working closely with provincial and territorial public health officials.
The Task Force will use simple blood testing strategies to survey representative samples of the population for the presence of antibodies to the virus. Data from this major two-year initiative will provide insights into the levels of immunity in the general population and in priority populations, such as healthcare workers.
Key roles
Dr. David Naylor, Professor of Medicine and President Emeritus at University of Toronto, and Dr. Catherine Hankins, Professor of Public and Population Health at 91社区, will co-chair the Task Force鈥檚 leadership group.
The Public Health Agency of Canada will also support an external secretariat for the Task Force that will help implement leadership group decisions and develop collaborations with international partners. Dr. Timothy Evans, Director of the School of Population and Global Health at 91社区, will lead the secretariat.
Many people exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, don鈥檛 show symptoms. As a result, scientists so far have been able to see only 鈥渢he tip of the iceberg鈥� 鈥� those people who are symptomatic and need care. 鈥淲hat we can鈥檛 see are all the people who鈥檝e been infected, but whose symptoms are so mild that they haven鈥檛 been tested,鈥� Dr. Evans said. 鈥淪erological testing will give us a sense of just how many people that is, and where they live."
The base of the iceberg
鈥淭his is important, because if the base of the iceberg is very broad 鈥� many persons have evidence of being infected -- this may diminish the ability of the virus to transmit as easily in subsequent waves of infection,鈥澨齭aid Dr. Evans
Understanding how having had an infection correlates with immunity may be very helpful in guiding decision makers鈥� efforts to improve workplace safety as the economy re-opens.
鈥淜nowing how many Canadians already have some immunity to the virus following infection will provide a scientific basis for decision makers who are considering whether and how to relax some of the physical distancing measures that have been restricting economic activity,鈥� Dr. Hankins said.
After the first wave of COVID-19 peaks, understanding the risks faced by residual and subgroup populations could also inform targeted surveillance efforts aimed at snuffing out further outbreaks before they become epidemics. A better understanding of immunity levels could also enable a more nuanced and less economically and socially disruptive response to any further waves of infection.
Canada will work other countries in defining serological protocols through networks facilitated by the World Health Organization and the Wellcome Trust.
The Task Force鈥檚 leadership group will include representatives of key agencies of the Government of Canada, of several Provincial Ministers of Health, and experts in serological surveillance, immunology, infectious diseases, public health, and clinical medicine.
鈥淭he investment Canada is making now in research will result in our country being better equipped to plan for the coming months. Some of the best health experts and health researchers in Canada will help us implement the right next public health measures to respond to COVID-19. They will also help us put in place strategies to support essential workers 鈥� based on evidence and on what we know about who has been exposed 鈥� and plan for the use of a vaccine.鈥濃�斺�� Minister of Health Patty Hajdu
Aligning researchers across Canada
The Task Force will align researchers across Canada with the aim of generating best evidence as quickly as possible to better inform management of the epidemic. 鈥淲e would definitely hope to have the first study up and going in May of this year,鈥� Dr. Evans said.
鈥淭his important pan-Canadian collaboration reflects the great capacity of our country to mobilize scientific experts from across the country and help us all get our lives and workplaces back on track. 91社区 is very happy to be a part of the Task Force and to have been given the responsibility of supporting its secretariat. We will assist Dr. Evans and his colleagues in every way possible in order to quickly move this critical project forward and tackle this unprecedented emergency.鈥濃��91社区 Principal Suzanne Fortier
Timothy Evans joined 91社区 in September 2019 as Associate Dean and inaugural Director of 91社区鈥檚 School of Population and Global Health, the mission of which is to improve the health of populations and reduce health inequities in Quebec, Canada and worldwide.
To learn more about how 91社区 researchers are tackling COVID-19, visit
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