Over a quarter of Quebecers developed COVID-19 antibodies in 2.5 months in 2022
A new study out of Hema-Quebec and the Ministry of Health has found that more than one in four Quebec adults developed antibodies to COVID-19 between the beginning of the year and mid-March.
The Quebec blood agency explains that to obtain the results of this fourth phase of the study, analyses were performed using a test that identifies antibodies present only in people who have been recently infected with the coronavirus. The approach developed by the researchers consists of comparing the level of antibodies in the same individual, on two samples spaced in time.
Hema-Québec said that, due to the Omicron variant wave, a sample collected before the arrival of the variant and another collected since the beginning of 2022 were required for the same individual.
Tests conducted on donors registered in a plasma sample bank have established that 27.8 per cent of the Quebec population contracted COVID-19 between the end of 2021 and March 2022.
Hema-Québec reports that the increased presence of COVID-19 in the population has an impact on its daily blood and plasma collection activities. Since the end of March, the organization has had difficulty reaching its weekly objectives due to cancellations of appointments by infected individuals, even though the needs remain the same.
As a result, the organization is appealing to reach the number of donations needed.
Dr. Gaston DeSerres, head physician at the Immunization Unit of the Quebec Institute of Public Health (INSPQ), points out that seroprevalence studies, such as the one conducted by Hema-Québec, are very useful to public health authorities in monitoring the evolution of the pandemic and are essential for validating models used to predict its evolution.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 9, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.