The quest to find a cure against the coronavirus has led the researchers to establish a link between tuberculosis and the coronavirus. According to scientists, the BCG vaccine that was originally formulated against tuberculosis has no side-effects on the COVID-19 patients. Scientists claim that volunteers who received the BCG vaccine compared to healthy volunteers got sick less often.
The research studied a group of volunteers who received their BCG vaccine shot in five years before the pandemic and compared the results with the healthy volunteers that didn’t get the shots. As per the scientists at Radboud University, Netherlands, the BCG vaccine was originally intended to treat tuberculosis but it also provides a general boost to the immune system of an individual. This study has been published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.
During the course of the study, the researchers determined if this vaccine has any effect on COVID-19 patients. The results showed that the COVID-19 patients who received the BCG vaccine shot got sick less often during the first wave of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. One of the scientists in the study says, “What the comparison between the two groups shows is that at least those who received the vaccine did not get sick more often or become more seriously ill. It, therefore, does not hurt to vaccinate people with BCG.”
The research also claims that the Netherlands noted fewer sick people in the March-May period in the group that was administered BCG shots. In fact, the vaccinated individuals also showed fewer signs of fatigue compared to the ones that didn’t. However, the researchers also noted the limitations of the study in determining the effectiveness of the BCG vaccine against the coronavirus.
Dr. Mihai Netea, the co-author of the study, professor at Radboud University, says, “It is very important to confirm that someone who has been vaccinated with BCG does not experience any increased symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we see less sickness in the people who have had the BCG vaccination, only the ongoing prospective vaccination studies can help determine whether it can help against COVID-19.”