BCG vaccination of healthcare workers for protection against COVID-19: 12-month outcomes from an international randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has immunomodulatory effects that may provide protection against unrelated infectious diseases. We aimed to determine whether BCG vaccination protects adults against COVID-19.

Design

Phase III double-blind randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Healthcare centres in Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants

3988 healthcare workers with no prior COVID-19 and no contraindication to BCG.

Intervention

Randomised 1:1 using a web-based procedure to receive a single 0.1 mL intradermal dose of BCG-Denmark (BCG group, n = 1999) or saline (placebo group, n = 1989).

Main outcome measures

Difference in incidence of (i) symptomatic and (ii) severe

SUBMITTER: Messina NL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11409612 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature