Transplant Digest

World Kidney Day

Maureen

In this issue...

In this issue...

Connelly, RN

COVID-19 Vaccines and the Canadian Landscape

Dr.

Jeff Zaltzman

We celebrated World Kidney Day on March 9th, joining a global community campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys. World Kidney Day is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations – World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA).

The logo for World Kidney Day is composed of two kidneys and three bright color bars. These colors represent the blood (red), excess water (blue), and urine (yellow) that our kidneys filter, clean, and eliminate.

At the time of writing, approximately 50% of Canadians received at least one dose of a Health Canada-approved vaccine, and 3% received a second dose. Product monographs for the two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Moderna, recommend a second dose at 21 and 28 days respectively. The recommended second dose for the virus vector vaccine by Astra Zeneca is between 10-12 weeks following the first. The other approved virus vector vaccine by Johnson and Johnson requires only a single dose. What have we done in Canada with respect to vaccine rollouts?

The WKD mission aims to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. WKD started in 2006 and has grown tremendously ever since. Each year highlights a different theme. This year’s theme is “Kidney Health for All - Prepar-

Owing to world-wide demand and supply limitations, Canada had a slow and tumultuous vaccine procurement early on. None of the COVID-19 vaccines are manufactured in Canada,

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• World Kidney Day

• From the Editor’s Desk

• COVID-19 Vaccines and the Canadian Landscape

• Understanding if COVID-19 Vaccines are Effective

• Contact Information

• White Blood Cells and Transplantation

• Preparing for your Virtual Clinic Visit

• Your Lab Requisition

• Managing blood sugar

• Having a baby after a kidney transplant

• A conversation with Hockey Star

David Ayres

• How to Cope in a Busy Clinic

• How much water should you drink each day?

• Thinking Traps

• Iron Deficiency after Transplant

• My CPAP Journey

• Post Transplant Chat : Knowing your medication

• Patient Advocacy at Its Best: Transplant Program’s Request for BP Cuff Funding Gets Approved by the Kidney Foundation of Canada

• Events

• Adjusting Transplant Research Participation to Pandemic Limitations

• Transplant Quiz

• Writing to your donor family