Genome BC, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, and the BCCDC Foundation for Public Health have partnered for the first time to fund nine B.C. research teams working towards rapid response research initiatives that will address critical questions around COVID-19 vaccine research.
Valued at approximately $1.3 million, the nine projects selected for funding cover a range of priority research areas including:
- vaccine breakthrough infections;
- vaccine effectiveness in the context of variants of concern and immune response;
- viral transmission;
- equitable distribution of vaccines;
- vaccine acceptance and attitudes towards vaccines; and,
- vaccine literacy and hesitancy among people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people who are incarcerated, people who work in long-term care homes and a variety of multicultural communities in the Lower Mainland.
A number of UBC projects received funding through this initiative, including a project co-led by UBC Emergency Medicine Clinical Instructor, Dr. Daniel Ting and Associate Professor, Dr. Corinne Hohl. Read the project summary below:
UBC Vaccine Effectiveness of Variants in British Columbia
Daniel Ting and Corinne Hohl, Department of Emergency Medicine
The Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network (CCEDRRN) has harmonized data collection for COVID-19 tested patients across 50 emergency departments in 8 provinces, including B.C. This new project will leverage CCEDRRN’s existing and growing registry infrastructure to determine the real-world effectiveness of vaccines in B.C. in reducing severe COVID-19. Research efforts will specifically focus on vaccine effectiveness against the Variants of Concern circulating in B.C., and on effectiveness of a single dose of vaccine to assess outcomes of Canada’s dosing strategy. This study will provide critical real-world data about vaccine performance and support key study sites in the Lower Mainland.
Learn more:
- Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research – BC Research Funding Collaboration Supports Critical COVID-19 Vaccine Research
- Genome BC – BC research funders create first-time partnership for nine new COVID-19 projects
- CanadiEM.org – Development of the Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network population-base registry: a methodology study
- Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network
A version of this story originally appeared on the UBC Faculty of Medicine website.
