Covid fight: Study to find tuberculosis vaccine’s role - Times of India

NOIDA: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine used for treatment of tuberculosis helps as a preventive for Covid infection, as it acts as a controlling agent, a study titled “Role of BCG Vaccination in Prevention of Covid 19 Infection Among Healthcare Workers” has said.
The paper was submitted by Dr Renu Agrawal, medical superintendent, Noida Covid Hospital, and her team in the peer reviewed Indian Journal of Applied Research (IJAR).
The World Health Organisation, however, has not recommended the vaccine for Covid prevention and has said it may lead to a false sense of security.
The study, which is the first such research from Noida on the subject, was published on November 4. It was conducted on 140 healthcare workers on Covid duty at Noida Covid Hospital, the district hospital and the Super Specialty Paediatric Hospital and Post Graduate Teaching Institute (SSPHPGTI).
The study was conducted in two batches and a 150-member control group was created for it. While 80 people were given BCG shots on May 1, 50 got the shots on August 25. None have tested positive for Covid-19. On the other hand, 16 people who tested positive in May-June were not part of the study and were not given the BCG shot.
“In the study, two BCG vaccination drives were carried out, first from May 1 to 7 and second from August 24 to 26 followed by RT-PCR tests on the people after 15 days of Covid duty. The study was conducted in two age groups of 31-40 and 51-60 years and a few had comorbidities. At the end of the immunisation drive, our study found none of those vaccinated tested positive for Covid-19. A few who did not opt for vaccination, had the infection,” said Dr Agrawal.
The study concluded that additional BCG vaccination must be given to people taking care of Covid patients in hospitals. It added that all medical staff members should be vaccinated with BCG. This was recommended on the ground that the effect of BCG wanes out in 15-20 years.
Sources at Noida Covid Hospital, however, said one among 80 volunteers had tested positive. Chief medical officer, GB Nagar, Dr Deepak Ohri said the district health department is not aware of such a research nor has any directive been given to use BCG shots as a preventive measure. “There is no such directive from the National Health Mission.”