As per report the indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently granted approval to the National Institute for Research in tuberculosis, chennai to spearhead a study to see if the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine can reduce the COVID-19 mortality among the elderly. BCG vaccine is traditionally given to newborns, to protect them from tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria. The study is planned in six states in india tamilnadu, maharashtra, gujarat, madhya pradesh, rajasthan, and delhi in which, around 1,500 participants above the age of 60 years will be administered the vaccine and observed over a period of six months.
Perhaps TNM speaks to Dr S Subash Babu, the Scientific director, NIRT and the Principal Investigator for the study about the goal of the trial, concerns around it and more. The indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently granted approval to the National Institute for Research in tuberculosis, chennai to spearhead a study to see if the Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccine can reduce the COVID-19 mortality among the elderly.
Moreover BCG vaccine is traditionally given to newborns, to protect them from tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria. The study is planned in six states in india tamilnadu, maharashtra, gujarat, madhya pradesh, rajasthan, and delhi in which, around 1,500 participants above the age of 60 years will be administered the vaccine and observed over a period of six months. Dr S Subash Babu, the Scientific director, NIRT and the Principal Investigator for the study, speaks to TNM about the goal of the study, the plan and the concerns around it.