Immunity task force to study vaccine safety for Canadians with inflammatory diseases

MONTREAL (CityNews) – The COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG) will be supporting a national study looking into COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, safety and effectiveness in Canadians with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID).

The study, to be conducted in partnership with McGill University Health Center, McGill, and the universities of Manitoba, Toronto, and McMaster, will focus on IMIDs which involve chronic inflammation and require immunosuppressive drugs which can control symptoms but can also lessen immune responses to vaccination.

The CITF says the effectiveness and safety of the vaccination has not been investigated thoroughly for those individuals.

“Patients, doctors and decision-makers also need to know if the drugs people with IMID are on can affect their response to COVID vaccination. We also need estimates of adverse events, and other problems including triggering a flare of their disease,” said study lead and McGill professor Dr. Sasha Bernatsky.

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“The drugs patients are on may increase susceptibility to infection,” added Bernatsky.

“By the same token, many patients have tried numerous drug treatments to achieve good disease control and regain function. The thought that a vaccination could trigger a disease flare is daunting, especially when so little evidence exists as to how high or low the risk of a flare may be.”

“More than 7 million Canadians suffer from IMIDs such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and related conditions. It is important that they too be protected from COVID-19,” the CITF shared.

“It is imperative to study the immune response and safety of vaccines not only in the general population, but in populations with specific health issues, such as those with IMID,” said Dr. Caroline Quach, Co-Chair of the Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group. “Studies such as this one help to inform on whether a booster dose is needed in IMID patients. They will also allow to estimate the rate of occurrence of adverse events, such as flares, which is a major consideration for this particular population.”

Over 2,000 IMID patients from across the country will be monitored for up to twelve months after their final jab.