Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
A study involving more than a million fully vaccinated people found that COVID-19 breakthrough infections were more common among immunocompromised individuals and were far more likely to lead to hospitalization or death.
Researchers from Pfizer published their findings in the Journal of Medical Economics on Tuesday. They looked at 1.2 million people in the U.S. who had received both doses of the company's mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 between December 2020 and July 2021 in what they claim is the largest study of its kind.
“Several countries are currently experiencing a resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 infections despite the rollout of mass vaccination programs. While COVID-19 mRNA vaccines help protect people from getting infected and severely ill, the risk of breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people is not completely eliminated,” lead author Manuela Di Fusco said in a news release.
Of the cohort, 17.7 per cent were identified as immunocompromised. Some of the immunocompromising conditions in the cohort included solid tumours, kidney disease, inflammatory diseases, organ transplants and HIV/AIDS.
However, immunocompromised participants accounted for 38.2 per cent of all breakthrough infections, 59.7 per cent of all hospitalizations and 100 per cent of all deaths.
Proportionally, the risk of breakthrough infections was three times higher among immunocompromised individuals. These individuals had a breakthrough infection rate of 0.18 per cent, compared to 0.06 per cent among non-immunocompromised individuals.
"While some COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections among those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are expected, the findings of this study show that they are rare and less likely to result in hospitalization or death in those without an (immunocompromising) condition," the authors wrote.
Among the immunocompromised participants, organ transplant recipients were found to have the shortest time to infection as well as the highest rates of breakthrough infections.
The researchers say their findings underscore the need for health authorities to offer third doses for immunocompromised individuals, especially as vaccine immunity wanes and new variants such as Omicron emerge.
Health Canada gave the green light to use the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot for adults. The rollout of these third doses has varied among the provinces and territories, with most prioritizing seniors, immunocompromised individuals, health-care workers, First Nations communities and those who received a non-mRNA vaccine.
“The results supplement other real-world studies and support the introduction of a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to increase protection among the immunocompromised individuals," Di Fusco said.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.