Hot Topics
It’s uncertain whether Canada will have a BA.4/BA.5 wave this spring, but get all your vaccine doses in case
BA.4 and BA.5 transmit faster and can reinfect people with previous Omicron infections more easily.
Third and fourth vaccine doses help curb viral transmission and curtail the spread of COVID-19
Many Canadians wonder whether third and fourth doses of vaccine truly make a difference in protecting them against COVID-19 infection and reducing the risk of transmitting the virus to others.
Why is BA.2 important and what should Canadians do about it?
With the more contagious BA.2 fueling a spring wave, getting a vaccine booster protects Canadians against rising health risks
Lifting public health measures will boost transmission and if Canadians don’t mask up, infections will increase significantly
Two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, provincial and territorial governments in Canada have shifted their pandemic policies by lifting mask mandates, vaccine passport requirements, capacity limits and other public health measures.
It’s time to explore a nasal vaccine booster
As PCR testing resources have been unable to keep up with demand across the country, rapid antigen tests (“rapid tests”) have become an important tool in the pandemic.
CoVaRR-Net sees great promise in wastewater surveillance
Because of limited PCR testing, the data on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is becoming limited; wastewater surveillance offers an opportunity to provide a reliable snapshot of COVID-19 rates everywhere it’s monitored.
Understanding the role of the Rapid Antigen Test
As PCR testing resources have been unable to keep up with demand across the country, rapid antigen tests (“rapid tests”) have become an important tool in the pandemic.
Omicron: What we have discovered so far
Cases of Omicron rose rapidly over the holidays and, since then, it has become the dominant variant.
Canadian scientist network CoVaRR-Net is working hard to rapidly study the risks posed by the Omicron variant of concern
Omicron, which has spread widely across the globe and in many regions of Canada, is one of the most transmissible variants to emerge during the pandemic.
Have a healthy immune system? You likely don’t need a third dose.*
(advice before Omicron)
* This article was published before Omicron was declared a variant of concern and spread worldwide. It no longer reflects CoVaRR-Net recommendations in regards to boosters in the reality of Omicron.
Declining antibodies do not necessarily mean less protection for healthy individuals, explains CoVaRR-Net's Dr. Mark Brockman.
CoVaRR-Net Halloween recommendations
Researchers at the Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net) share risk-reducing measures for Halloween.