We compared whether the national BCG vaccination (BCGV) policy influenced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Those currently implementing BCGV have a reduced number of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality cases, compared to those who have never implemented a BCGV policy, suggesting the potential protective effect of BCGV against COVID-19.
ArtsRJWMoorlagSJCFMNovakovicBLiYWangSYOostingMKumarVXavierRJWijmengaCJoostenLABReuskenCBEMBennCSAabyPKoopmansMPStunnenbergHGvan CrevelR. (2018) BCG vaccination protects against experimental viral infection in humans through the induction of cytokines associated with trained immunity. Cell Host & Microbe23(1): 89–100.e5.
KleinSLMarriottIFishEN. (2015) Sex-based differences in immune function and responses to vaccination. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene109(1): 9–15.
4.
MillerAReandelarMJFasciglioneKRoumenovaVLiYOtazuGH. (2020) Correlation between universal BCG vaccination policy and reduced morbidity and mortality for COVID-19: an epidemiological study. medRxiv. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.24.20042937 (accessed 20 April 2020).
5.
SalaGChakrabortiROtaAMiyakawaT. (2020) Association of BCG vaccination policy with prevalence and mortality of COVID-19. medRxiv. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.30.20048165 (accessed 20 April 2020).
6.
SonegoMPellegrinMCBeckerGLazzeriniM. (2015) Risk factors for mortality from acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children under five years of age in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. PLoS One10(1): e0116380. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116380 (accessed 20 April 2020).
7.
The World BCG Atlas. (2017) A database of Global BCG Vaccination Policies and Practices. Available at: http://www.bcgatlas.org/ (accessed 29 March 2020).
