VANCOUVER, British Columbia, 27 August 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – In the midst of a pandemic, how can we safely repaint? This factor is in the minds of employees, employers and policy makers as the world begins the COVID-19 reopening procedure. Places that have effectively limited person-to-person contact have also slowed transmission, but these restrictions are accompanied by damaging economic compensation.
To support decision making around relaxing restrictions and managing work environments as society reopens, an inter-sectoral group of industry, academic, and public sector partners in BC is leading a new 15-month, $1.2 million return-to-work study. The data from the “SARS‐CoV‐2 Study for Eased Restrictions in British Columbia” (SAfER) project, collected in controlled settings, will be available in real time to help inform public health decisions that lead to positive outcomes.
The SAfER study, backed by Genome BC, Genome Canada and industry partners, will track and collect knowledge over time on infections, immunity, contacts and clinical symptoms for 1,500 volunteer workers from BC-based biotechnology companies, adding Xenon Pharmaceuticals, STEMCELL Technologies and Zymeworks. , as well as Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. A workers’ survey will also collect data on tension and anxiety from a pandemic.
“The SAfER study will track and collect unnamed information that will provide exclusive data on the effect of COVID-19 on educational and office study environments,” said Dr. Pascal Spothelfer, President and CEO of Genome BC. “This is one of the first projects of its kind in Canada, and British Columbia has a window of opportunity to be informed and lead as we prepare for the difficult situations ahead.
“No one can solve the demanding situations of reopening painting sites on their own. We hope that the kind of public-private partnership we created with these paintings can create a framework for data-driven conversations with all stakeholders at the table,” says Examine co-director Dr Simon Pimstone.
Dr. Pimstone (University of British Columbia School of Medicine, Xenon Pharmaceuticals) joins the co-chairs Dr. Tania Bubela (Simon Fraser University), Dr. Josef Penninger (University of British Columbia School of Medicine) and Dr. Mel Krajden (BC Center for Disease Control/ Provincial Health Services Authority, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine) echoing the call to the association: “Effective control of this pandemic is based on collaboration between public health, academia and industry to translate key studies into practice.”
The exam will be monitored through Emmes Canada, an overseas study organization with extensive experience in public fitness, and will rely on testing and tracking partnerships through corporate diagnostic LifeLabs and app developer Thrive Health. The BC Centers for Disease Control will retain the knowledge and perform the tests. The review will be introduced once all applicable agreements and moral approvals are in place, which is expected in the short term.
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