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KMID : 1044520210840010013
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Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
2021 Volume.84 No. 1 p.13 ~ p.21
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COVID-19 Death and BCG Vaccination Programs Worldwide
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Jirjees Feras J.
Bashi Yahya H. Dallal
Al-Obaidi Hala J.
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Abstract
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Several clinical trials are being conducted worldwide to investigate the protective effect of the bacillus Calmette-Guerin (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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KEYWORD
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COVID-19 Pandemic, BCG Vaccine, COVID-19 Death Cases, Coronavirus, COVID-19 Mortality
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