booster shot

What are adjuvants in vaccines?

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 22:51:33 +0000

In 1926, Alexander Thomas Glenny, a British immunologist, discovered that noted that vaccinated guinea pigs had a better response when the jab caused a local inflammation at the site of the injection. He then had the idea of adding substances to the vaccine to cause such an inflammation and found aluminum salts to be particularly effective.

'Natural immunity' to COVID has its limits

Christopher Labos MD, MSc — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 18:21:27 +0000

This article was originally posted in the Montreal Gazette

Wider eligibility for COVID booster shots makes sense

Christopher Labos MD, MSc — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 21:54:16 +0000

This article was originally published in the Montreal Gazette

Recently, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization lowered the recommended age for a COVID-19 booster shot from 70 and up to 50 and up, with the same proviso that it be at least six months after the second dose. It said those ages 18 to 49 could be offered a booster based on their individual risk and the degree of COVID-19 spread in their area.

Clearing up the confusion about COVID boosters

Christopher Labos MD, MSc — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 20:28:35 +0000

This article was originally published in the Montreal Gazette

Escaping COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 19:55:34 +0000

As I write this, 4.8 billion doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been administered globally. Even with my scientific background, I cannot easily wrap my head around this number, 4.8 billion. If you think of each syringe carrying a dose as a pencil, and you put these 4.8 billion pencils side by side like they are in a colouring box, you end up with a line that is almost twice the length of the Earth’s diameter.