Covid 19: TN Govt. To Undertake BCG Trial

• 16 Jul 2020

• The Tamil Nadu Government has approved the trial of BCG vaccines in elderly persons to study its impact in reducing the intensity of Covid-19.
• The study will be coordinated by the Chennai based National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis.
• BCG vaccine is originally intended for infants. It is aimed at removing the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. However, there is a growing belief that it may be useful in the fight against the virus SARSCoV2 also that causes Covid19.
• Tentative results of a few preliminary studies show that countries administering the vaccine to their children have a comparative advantage over the others in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the Indian Council for Medical Research ICMR asked the Tamil Nadu Government to approve launching such a study.