Could anti‐tubercular vaccination protect against COVID‐19 infection?

Patella, Vincenzo; Florio, Giovanni; Brancaccio, Raffaele; Delfino, Gabriele

We have read with great attention the kind contribute by C. Ozdemir et al.,about the possible effects of tuberculosis vaccine with Calmette-Guérin Bacillus (BCG) on the course of COVID-19 pandemics[1]. We agree, because our group has been working for the last few months on thishypothesis, with a different approach,over the ability of BCG to provide protection against COVID-19. Several studies, as also reportedby Redelman-Sidi, G., are currently ongoing to determine the effect of BCG vaccination on outcomes from COVID-19, including in two high-risk populations [2]. The countries without universal vaccination policies (i.e.: Italy, Netherlands, United States) would seemto be hit more severely against COVID-19, than in countries with universal vaccination policies and for a long time with BCG.Since 1975, BCG vaccination policy in Sweden changed from routine vaccination of all newborn infants to selective vaccination of groups at higher risk [3], andSpain did the same, but not Portugal(Fig.1).