Respiratory Research (Jul 2020)

The need for fast-track, high-quality and low-cost studies about the role of the BCG vaccine in the fight against COVID-19

  • Marcos Pereira,
  • Enny Paixão,
  • Anete Trajman,
  • Ramon Andrade de Souza,
  • Marcio Santos da Natividade,
  • Julia M. Pescarini,
  • Susan Martins Pereira,
  • Florisneide Rodrigues Barreto,
  • Ricardo Ximenes,
  • Margareth Dalcomo,
  • Maria Yury Ichihara,
  • Ceuci Nunes,
  • Manoel Barral-Netto,
  • Maurício L. Barreto

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-020-01439-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 1
pp. 1 – 3

Abstract

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Abstract Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination is routine and near-universal in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). It has been suggested that BCG can have a protective effect on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. This commentary discusses the limitations of the evidence around BCG and COVID-19. We argue that higher-quality evidence is necessary to understand the protective effect of the BCG vaccine from existing, secondary data, while we await results from clinical trials currently conducted in different settings.