Seroprevalence

Study reveals children and youth had highest rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Canada before third wave

Retrieved on: 
Mercredi, juillet 7, 2021
Coronaviridae, Sarbecovirus, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Seroprevalence, COVID-19

This brings the total percentage of Canadians with some form of immunity before the third wave to 3.6%.

Key Points: 
  • This brings the total percentage of Canadians with some form of immunity before the third wave to 3.6%.
  • Younger age groups and especially children and adolescents - had higher rates of antibodies in their blood suggesting a past SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • The overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 3.4% among children and youth 1 to 19 years of age between November and April 2021, explains Mr. Gravel.
  • As vaccines had not yet been distributed to this age group at the time of the survey, nearly all of these children and youth had antibodies due to a previous infection.

Recent blood donor data suggest that Canadians still remain vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, mai 27, 2021
Blood, Medical specialties, Hematology, Transfusion medicine, Body fluids, Canadian Blood Services, Blood donation, Seroprevalence, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus

Canadian Blood Services data, based on blood donors, show that the seroprevalence due to infection (the number of people who had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 due to a past infection) in Canadian provinces excluding Quebec was 2.2% in January.

Key Points: 
  • Canadian Blood Services data, based on blood donors, show that the seroprevalence due to infection (the number of people who had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 due to a past infection) in Canadian provinces excluding Quebec was 2.2% in January.
  • Data from both Canadian Blood Services and Hma-Qubec show the pandemic is affecting racialized Canadians twice as much as self-declared Caucasian Canadians.
  • This shows that antibodies from infection do not necessarily remain in peoples blood forever and suggests boosters might be needed.
  • Blood donors self-select to be blood donors and donation selection criteria ensure blood donors are healthy, so caution should be exercised in extrapolating findings to all adult Canadians.

Preliminary results suggest nearly 6% of Montreal children tested from October to April had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Retrieved on: 
Mardi, mai 18, 2021
Sarbecovirus, Medical specialties, Respiratory diseases, Health sciences, Occupational safety and health, Atypical pneumonias, Epidemiology, Serology, Seroprevalence, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, COVID-19, Severe acute respiratory syndrome

As an overall average, 5.8% of participating children were found to have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Key Points: 
  • As an overall average, 5.8% of participating children were found to have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
  • By April 2021, in the third wave, 8.9% of the students tested had antibodies.
  • \xe2\x80\x9cThe results also suggest that seroprevalence is higher in neighbourhoods with lower socio-economic indexes and at a greater percentage for racialized residents.
  • The blood samples were taken from 354 children in daycare, 725 children in elementary schools, and 553 students in high schools.

Latest findings reveal few Canadian adults have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Retrieved on: 
Lundi, janvier 25, 2021
Medical specialties, Anatomy, Hematology, Transfusion medicine, Canadian Blood Services, Blood, Prairies Ecozone, Seroprevalence, Canadian Prairies

These results show the greatest increases in the Prairies and Western provinces, says Dr. Sheila OBrien, associate director of epidemiology and surveillance at Canadian Blood Services.

Key Points: 
  • These results show the greatest increases in the Prairies and Western provinces, says Dr. Sheila OBrien, associate director of epidemiology and surveillance at Canadian Blood Services.
  • Since the first wave in May and June, seroprevalence in the Prairies (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) increased five-fold, from 1.69% to 8.71%.
  • Canadian Blood Services is proud to contribute to Canadas fight against COVID-19 through this seroprevalence study, says Dr. Graham Sher, CEO of Canadian Blood Services.
  • In the domain of blood, plasma, and stem cells, Canadian Blood Services provides services for patients on behalf of all provincial and territorial governments, except Quebec.

Quanterix Receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Semi-Quantitative Antibody Test

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Lundi, décembre 28, 2020
FDA, Health, Infectious diseases, Other Health, Cardiology, Biotechnology, Branches of biology, Articles, Life sciences, Biotechnology, Laboratory techniques, Molecular biology, Amplifiers, Hoffmann-La Roche, Polymerase chain reaction, Seroprevalence, COVID-19 testing

The Simoa Semi-Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 antibody test targets antibodies that are directed against the region of the novel coronavirus known as the spike protein.

Key Points: 
  • The Simoa Semi-Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 antibody test targets antibodies that are directed against the region of the novel coronavirus known as the spike protein.
  • The Simoa Semi-Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 may therefore be useful for measuring the antibody response to vaccine therapy.
  • The test provides a numerical result representing the concentration of antibodies from 0.21 to 250 g/mL.
  • In clinical studies, the test demonstrated a 100 percent positive percent agreement (sensitivity) and 99.2 percent negative percent agreement (specificity) 15 or more days following a positive PCR test.

Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force funds national study looking at seroprevalence of COVID-19 antibodies among high-risk populations

Retrieved on: 
Mercredi, octobre 28, 2020
Medical specialties, Respiratory diseases, Health, Epidemiology, Zoonoses, Occupational safety and health, Atypical pneumonias, Coronavirus disease, Seroprevalence, Severe acute respiratory syndrome

CanPaths large number of participants, pan-Canadian reach, and population coverage enable us to detect differences in exposure and immunity among Canadians.

Key Points: 
  • CanPaths large number of participants, pan-Canadian reach, and population coverage enable us to detect differences in exposure and immunity among Canadians.
  • CanPath will work in support of Indigenous leaders and scholars to study the seroprevalence of COVID-19 antibodies among Indigenous communities.
  • The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrows Health (CanPath) is Canadas largest population health cohort and a national platform for health research.
  • The Task Force also aims to shed light on immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in a diversity of communities, age brackets, populations, and occupational groups across the nation.

Final results of initial Canadian SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study announced

Retrieved on: 
Mardi, septembre 8, 2020
Medical specialties, Epidemiology, Serology, Medicine, Clinical medicine, Seroprevalence, Zoonoses, Occupational safety and health, CITF, Coronavirus disease, COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus

MONTREAL, Sept. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Blood Services and Canadas COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) are releasing final results of a collaborative nine-province SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study.

Key Points: 
  • MONTREAL, Sept. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Blood Services and Canadas COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) are releasing final results of a collaborative nine-province SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study.
  • We know that these results could underestimate true seroprevalence for two reasons, states Professor Catherine Hankins, CITF Co-Chair.
  • The results also have confirmed low seroprevalence in all provinces and cities across Canada, points out Sheila OBrien, Associate Director, Epidemiology & Surveillance at Canadian Blood Services.
  • Although not included in the Canadian Blood Services study, Quebec shows the highest seroprevalence in the country to date: Hma-Qubec recently announced that their seroprevalence study revealed that 2.23% of Quebec blood donors were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

New Assay Kits from Salimetrics Confirm Integrity of Oral Fluid/Saliva Samples for Use in Serological Studies of Specific Infectious Diseases (COVID-19)

Retrieved on: 
Mercredi, mai 13, 2020
Medicine, Medical specialties, Branches of biology, Immunologic tests, Laboratory techniques, Epidemiology, ELISA, Serology, Assay, Seroprevalence, Salivary gland, Saliva testing

As any pandemic evolves, community-based seroprevalence studies to determine who has been and who has not been exposed is of the utmost importance.

Key Points: 
  • As any pandemic evolves, community-based seroprevalence studies to determine who has been and who has not been exposed is of the utmost importance.
  • Recently, Salimetrics announced two new salivary assay kits to be employed when oral fluid/saliva specimens are used for this purpose - the Salivary Total Human IgG ELISA Kit (Cat.
  • These assays assure the quality of oral fluid/saliva samples and therefore improve specificity and sensitivity of corresponding pathogen-specific serological assays.
  • Specifically, these assay tools minimize false negative determinations in pathogen-specific serological assays by excluding samples that have insufficient total antibody.