Can a century-old TB vaccine steel the immune system against the new coronavirus?

Why does Japan have so few cases of COVID‐19?

“…Furthermore, Netea and colleagues showed that BCG vaccination reduced the levels of viremia caused by the yellow fever virus live attenuated vaccine (Arts et al , ), and post‐BCG increase of IL‐1β production strongly correlated with lower viremia after yellow fever virus administration. A placebo‐controlled randomized clinical trial of 1,000 healthcare workers in The Netherlands has started, and a similar trial is planned to begin at the Max Planck Institute (de Vrieze, ). The outcomes of these trials will help us to understand whether and how BCG confers resistance to other pathogens including SARS‐CoV‐2.…”

Against pandemic research exceptionalism

“…Although easily launched, such studies are at high risk for producing inconclusive findings that sow confusion and necessitate further 1 MAY 2020 • VOL 368 ISSUE 6490 477 SCIENCE sciencemag.org PHOTO: TED S. WARREN/AP PHOTO evaluation. The decision to forgo a dummy comparator and use a nonvalidated surrogate end point, absenteeism, in a study testing use of a tuberculosis vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection jeopardizes the study's ability to clarify the merits of this intervention (9).…”

Could BCG be used to protect against COVID-19?

“…Finally, a study in Germany is testing whether VPM1002, a recombinant vaccine strain derived from BCG, can protect either health-care workers or older patients from COVID-19 (REF. 9 ).…”