Research Projects
COVID in Long-Term Care Study
The majority of COVID-19-related deaths in Canada have occurred in senior living homes. The COVID in Long-Term Care Study aims to understand how immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, contribute to the protection or spread of infection in long-term care, assisted living and retirement homes. This research study aims to: (1) understand how infections spread in congregate care/living centres long-term care homes, (2) discover how the immune response in long-term care residents, both due to vaccination and previous infection, protects or permits future COVID-19 infections, and (3) determine how well vaccinations for COVID-19 work in long-term care residents of long-term care, assisted living and retirement homes.
It continues to be a top priority to better understand the infection and immunity in residents living in senior living homes. By discovering which aspects of the immune response provide protection we believe that we may be able to help long-term care, assisted living and retirement homes better understand what keeps residents safe during the pandemic by designing the best vaccination strategies for our most vulnerable citizens. The information collected from this research study has aided vaccination-related decision making by public health officials, including the discovery that immunity from vaccines begins to wane after 3 to 6 months, and getting a booster dose at the start of a new wave of infections helps to reduce the severity of illness due to an infection as well as the number of deaths due to COVID-19.
Lead Researchers
Andrew Costa, PhD
Schlegel Research Chair in Clinical Epidemiology
Dawn Bowdish, co-lead for Canada’s Global Nexus, and Canada Research Chair in Aging and Immunit
Other Researchers
- Nathan Stall, Co-I, Mt. Sinai Hospital
- Aron Jones, Co-I, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences; McMaster University
- Kevin Brown, Co-I, Public Health Ontario; University of Toronto
- Arthur Sweetman, Co-I, McMaster University
- John Hirdes, Co-I, University of Waterloo
- Parminder Raina, Co-I, McMaster University
- Jonathan Bramson, Co-I, McMaster University
- Mark Loeb, Co-I, McMaster University
- Judah Denburg, Co-I, McMaster University
- Ishac Nazy, Co-I, McMaster University
- Janet McElhaney, Co-I, HSNRI; Northern Ontario School of Medicine
- Chris Verschoor, Co-I, Health Science North Research Institute; Northern Ontario School of Medicine
- Gerry Wright, Co-I, McMaster
- Eric Brown, Co-I, McMaster University
- Michael Hillmer, Co-I, Ontario Ministry of Health; University of Toronto
- Kevin J. Stinson, Co-I, St Mary's General Hospital
- Matthew Miller, Co-I, McMaster University
- Ahmad von Schlegell, Co-I, Schlegel Villages
- George Heckman, Co-I, RIA; University of Waterloo
Research Team
- Tara Kajaks, McMaster University
- Shauna Boniface, McMaster University
- Tim Boniface, McMaster University
- Ahmad Rahim, McMaster University
- Javier Ramirez, McMaster University
- Lindsay Scjerer, McMaster University
- Megan Hagerman, McMaster University
- Jenna Benoit, McMaster University
- Hina Bhakta, McMaster University
- Lucas Bilaver, McMaster University
- Jessica Breznik, McMaster University
- Jessa Calderon, McMaster University
- Rumi Clare, McMaster University
- Braden Cowborough, McMaster University
- Waverley Fung, McMaster University
- Jodi Turner, McMaster University
- Ying, Wu, McMaster University
- Lora Bruyn-Martin, Schlegel Villages
- Julie Garneau, Schlegel Villages
- Deanna Levac, Schlegel Villages
- Dana Chausic, St. Joseph's Villa Dundas
- Josie Lopes, St. Joseph's Lifecare Centre Brantford
- Rebecka Seilis, St. Joseph's Health Centre Guelph
- Hannah Parkinson, Shalom Village
- Allegra Ferrara, Amica Unionvillee
- Chris Verschoor, HSNRI Research Team
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- COVID-19 Immunity Task Force
Research Partners:
- McMaster University
- RIA
- Health Sciences North Research Institute
Study Partners:
- Lung Health Foundation
- PointClickCare
LTC partners:
- St. Joseph’s Health System Elfer Care
- Schlegel Villages
- Amica
- St. Joseph’s Villa Dundas
- St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph
- St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre Brantford
- Finlandia Village
- St. Joseph’s Village of Sudbury
- St. Gabriel’s Villa od Sudbury
- Shalom Village
*Above taken from study website https://covidinltc.ca/partners
The are no "Related Resources" associated with this Project.