August 22, 2022Children are entering a fourth school year in a pandemic — expert advice for parentsDr. Manish Sadarangani As children head back for a fourth school year with COVID-19, many parents are hoping their kids will be able to enjoy a mostly normal school experience. But with new variants circulating and respiratory virus season on the horizon, many also have concerns and questions about...Learn more
August 18, 2022UBC researchers discover ‘weak spot’ across major COVID-19 variantsResearchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered a key vulnerability across all major variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the recently emerged BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron subvariants. The weakness can be targeted by neutralizing antibodies, potentially paving the way for...Learn more
August 16, 2022COVID-19 vaccine and young children — expert answers for skeptical parentsThanks to a recent decision by Health Canada, children in British Columbia over the age of six months are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. And a recent study by UBC researchers reveals some surprising attitudes about child vaccination from parents who remain unvaccinated. Dr. Ran Goldman,...Learn more
August 2, 2022Travel restrictions significantly reduced COVID-19 cases entering Canada — but insufficient to prevent new outbreaksCanada’s restrictions on international travel drastically reduced the number of COVID-19 cases entering the country during the first waves of the pandemic but were insufficient to prevent new outbreaks, according to a new study led by University of British Columbia researchers. The study, published...Learn more
May 30, 2022A province-by-province look at excess deaths in Canada during the pandemicPretend the COVID-19 pandemic never happened. People still would have died across Canada, and the number of deaths would have been somewhat predictable based on data from previous years. Dr. Kimberlyn McGrail Dr. Kimberlyn McGrail, a professor in UBC’s school of population and public health,...Learn more
May 2, 2022Catching COVID-19 during pregnancy increases risk of hospitalization, premature birth: national studyAs Canada faces a sixth wave of COVID-19 infections, researchers at the UBC faculty of medicine are urging people who are pregnant to remain vigilant based on data from Canada’s first national, peer-reviewed study on COVID-19 in pregnancy. The findings, published today in JAMA , show that pregnant...Learn more
April 5, 2022Dr. Pieter Cullis named 2022 Canada Gairdner Award laureateAward recognizes contributions to foundational technologies for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines UBC professor Dr. Pieter Cullis has been named a 2022 Canada Gairdner International Award laureate for his pioneering work developing the lipid nanoparticle delivery technology that enables mRNA therapeutics...Learn more
March 28, 2022New nasal spray treats Delta variant infection in mice, indicating broad spectrum resultsResearchers have shown a new compound delivered in a nasal spray is highly effective in preventing and treating COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant in mice. The researchers, including at UBC, Université de Sherbrooke, and Cornell University, believe this is the first treatment of its kind proven...Learn more
March 28, 2022Microbe-slaying copper applied to UBC buildingsMore than 400 sanitizing copper patches have been added to high-contact areas at UBC as part of a collaboration between Teck Resources and UBC to study the antimicrobial properties of copper. How does it work? When copper physically contacts a pathogen like the virus that causes COVID-19, it...Learn more
March 10, 2022Managing mental health as pandemic restrictions easeAs governments across Canada ease public health restrictions in the wake of an unprecedented Omicron wave, many Canadians feel cautiously optimistic. But adjusting to a new normal with a virus that is still circulating can also spark feelings of fear and anxiety. UBC psychiatry professor Dr. Steven...Learn more