BCG vaccine used in India for tuberculosis (TB) being tested against COVID19

Researchers are testing the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine against COVID19. The vaccine was developed in 1921 in France to protect from TB (tuberculosis). India included the BCG vaccine in its TB control programme in 1962. The vaccine is only 60 per cent efficient in controllingTB. However, epidemiological data suggests that the vaccine could be effective

against COVID-19. The data for this study is yet to be peer reviewed.
Countries that do not immunise children against TB have more cases of COVID-19. These countries include the USA, Netherlands, Spain and Italy. It is surprising that a vaccine that protects against a bacterial disease will work on viral infections

When a person is attacked by a microbe, the innate immune system kicks in. On the other hand, vaccines lead to the development of the acquired immune system in the human body. Innate immune system also has a memory and this can protect from new infections and this could be providing protection from COVID-19 . In an effort to fight the COVID19 pandemic, researchers are experimenting with a variety of existing drugs. BCG vaccine is one of them.