COVID-19 Death and BCG Vaccination Programs Worldwide
Several clinical trials are being conducted worldwide to investigate the protective effect of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine against death in healthcare providers who are working directly with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Clinical studies suggested that certain live vacc...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.e-trd.org/upload/pdf/trd-2020-0063.pdf |
| Summary: | Several clinical trials are being conducted worldwide to investigate the protective effect of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine against death in healthcare providers who are working directly with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Clinical studies suggested that certain live vaccines, particularly the BCG vaccine, could reduce the mortality due to other diseases caused by non-targeted pathogens, most probably through the nonspecific effects (heterologous effects). By the end of May 2020, the available information on the COVID-19 pandemic indicated the great effect of the BCG vaccine in reducing the number of COVID-19 death cases. The occurrence of death due to COVID-19 was found to be 21-fold lower in countries with a national BCG vaccination policy than in countries without such a policy, based on the medians of COVID-19 death case per 1 million of the population in these two groups of countries (p<0.001, MannWhitney test). Therefore, it can be concluded that the early establishment of a BCG vaccination policy in any country is a key element in reducing the number of COVID-19 and tuberculosis death cases. |
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| ISSN: | 1738-3536 2005-6184 |