At the moment, there is no known vaccine that works against the COVID-19 virus. Researchers are working on several potential solutions, but there is nothing definitive yet. However, to help speed up the process, several scientists around the world are now exploring older vaccines to see if it can help.
The vaccine in question is known as the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine and was introduced back in the 1920s to fight against tuberculosis. In fact, some countries in Asia such as Singapore and Malaysia had previously made it mandatory for newborns to receive the vaccine, and once again when children hit 12 years old.
The reason that researchers are exploring this particular vaccine is because unlike other vaccines that only protect against a particular disease, the BCG vaccine also helps boost the immune system in general. A study found that there were 50% lower mortality rates in children who received the vaccine compared to those who did not, which is a much bigger drop in deaths that can be explained by a reduction in tuberculosis cases.
However, whether or not the BCG vaccine will be able to work effectively against the COVID-19 virus remains to be seen. The researchers are saying that it will probably be months before they get the results back from the trial, so maybe don’t get your hopes up just yet.
Filed in . Read more about Coronavirus, Covid-19, Health, Science and Social Hit. Source: reuters