Canadian government task force
The COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) is one of the Government of Canada's early efforts to track the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.[1] An external, dedicated secretariat was established in order to maximize the efficiency of the CITF's work.[2]
Purpose
The CITF was to use a serology "to survey representative samples of the population for the presence of antibodies to the virus".[3] Trudeau's press release on 23 April 2020, on the initiation of the CCITF listed several goals it would help to achieve notably that it would:[2]
establish priorities and oversee the coordination of a series of country-wide blood test surveys that will tell us how widely the virus has spread in Canada and provide reliable estimates of potential immunity and vulnerabilities in Canadian populations.
A Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG) was also established within the CITF to monitor the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines made available in Canada.[4]
Task Force membership
The CITF Board is composed of doctors, infectious disease experts, and policy makers.[1][5]
Leadership Group
- Executive Committee
- Government of Canada representatives
- Members
The CCITF leadership group expanded on 2 May 2020.[6] Its additional members as of March 2022 are:
- Provincial & Territorial representatives
- Shelly Bolotin, Ontario
- Marguerite Cameron, Prince Edward Island
- Catherine Elliott, Yukon
- Richard Garceau, New Brunswick
- Heather Hannah, Northwest Territories
- Mel Krajden, British Columbia
- Christie Lutsiak, Alberta
- Richard Massé, Quebec
- Jessica Minion, Saskatchewan
- Michael Patterson, Nunavut
- Gail Tomblin Murphy, Nova Scotia
- Paul Van Caeseele, Manitoba
References
- ^ a b "WHO set pandemic response back by 2-3 weeks, says doctor on new federal task force". CBC. 23 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Prime Minister announces new support for COVID-19 medical research and vaccine development". Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Canada launches serological testing initiative to help manage COVID-19". McGill University Institutional Communications. 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG)". COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. Archived from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
- ^ Labonne, Simon. "Leadership Group". COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. Archived from the original on 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ^ Letterhead of CCITF: List of Members - CCITF Leadership Group (Tweet photo from C. David Naylor)
External links