Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey

Overview

Summary

The Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS), collected key information relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic to learn as much as possible about the virus, how it affects overall health, how it spreads, and whether Canadians are developing antibodies against it. The Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS) collected information in two parts. The first part is an electronic questionnaire about general health and exposure to COVID-19. The second part is two self-administered sample collections; an at-home finger-prick sample collection called a dried blood spot (DBS) sample, which was used to measure the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from vaccination or prior infection. The second at-home collection was a saliva sample which was used to determine if there was a recent or current SARS-CoV-2 infection at the time of sampling, by testing for viral material in the sample using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Participants were asked to complete both sample collections as soon as possible after the questionnaire. The data can be used to:

• Estimate how many Canadians test positive for antibodies against COVID-19. By using each participant's DBS samples combined with their survey responses, we can determine how many Canadians have antibodies against COVID-19 due to infection, vaccination or both.
• Provide a platform to explore emerging public health issues;
• Assist in the development of programs and services to respond to the needs of the current pandemic.
• Identify the estimated prevalence of infection on any given day during May to August 2022 in Canada.

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