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 S. Paixão, Anete Trajman, Ramon Andrade de Souza, Márcio Natividade, Júlia Moreira Pescarini, Susan Martins Pereira, Florisneide Rodrigues Barreto, Ricardo Arraes de Alencar Ximenes, Margareth Dalcomo, Maria Yury Ichihara, Ceuci Nunes, Manoel Barral‐Netto, Maurício L. Barreto
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.