Study of the effect of BCG vaccine to protect against Covid-19 infection in healthcare workers

Abstract

During the fight against the Covid-19 infection, it has been suggested that the BCG vaccine, which has been successfully used for a long time in the fight against tuberculosis, may protect doctors and nurses from the Covid-19 infection and thus reduce the death rate. In connection with the mentioned issue, several studies were conducted, where the effects of anti-tuberculosis vaccine on medical workers were observed. The purpose of the study was to study the possible positive effect of the BCG vaccine in the fight against infections, specifically Covid-19. In the study, in which 4,000 randomly selected volunteer doctors took part, some were vaccinated only with a saline placebo, and some with the anti-tuberculosis vaccine. Medical workers were followed for 12 months. The study found that the estimated risk of mild Covid-19 at 6 months was 14.7% in the BCG group and 12.3% in the placebo group. Thus, we can assume that BCG vaccination did not lead to a lower risk of infection with Covid-19 in healthcare workers.