Feds commit $1.1B for COVID-19 vaccine, clinical trials, immunity research

OTTAWA -- With increased testing and further understanding of the virus deemed necessary before reopening the Canadian economy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is spending an additional $1.1 billion for a national medical and research strategy to address COVID-19.

During his remarks on Thursday, Trudeau said that with the effectiveness of public health measures now in place and with Canada continuing on the right track, “we need to be thinking not just about the next weeks, but about the next months,” and that will require progress on interim medical interventions to control the spread of the virus while waiting for a vaccine. The PM’s announcement includes:

$115 million more for research into developing and producing vaccines and treatments in Canada, in an effort to offset what Trudeau expects will be a supply and demand struggle similar to that seen for personal protective equipment;

$662 million for research projects on how brain and airway cells are affected, as well as for clinical trials, including one trial that will “evaluate safety of a potential cell therapy to reduce the impacts and severity of acute respiratory distress associated with COVID-19”; and $350 million for national testing, modelling, data-monitoring and tracking of COVID-19 in Canada.

As well, the federal government is creating a “COVID-19 immunity task force,” which Trudeau says will include a series of Canada’s top doctors and will focus on blood testing to track and understand immunity to this novel coronavirus. Among the doctors that will lead this group are Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam and Chief Science Advisor Dr. Mona Nemer.

“They will be looking at key questions like how many people beyond those we’ve already tested have had COVID-19, whether you are immune once you’ve had it, and if so, how long that lasts,” Trudeau said.

Through this serology testing, the prime minister is committing to testing at least one million Canadians in the next two years. He said it will also inform which public health measures are the most effective. During the ministerial update following Trudeau’s remarks, Nemer said that one of the biggest outstanding questions of the pandemic is how many Canadians have been infected and do not know it because they did not develop any symptoms.

She said that the testing for the presence of antibodies will give the government a better idea of the rate of infection. Nemer said it will also inform health officials’ planning related to how quickly immunity to the virus develops and fades.

This new plan comes after Tam said the day before that rapid testing to detect and trace the virus’ spread, as well as those who have garnered immunity, will be essential in the interim. In Canada, there are more than 40,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the country has just surpassed 2,000 deaths.