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Does the BCG vaccine for TB help with COVID-19 (coronavirus)?

Medically reviewed by Melisa Puckey, BPharm. Last updated on March 21, 2025.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Can a TB (tuberculosis) vaccine be used for Covid-19 (coronavirus)?

It is hoped the BCG vaccine will increase the body’s immunity against COVID-19 which is caused by the coronavirus SARS-COV-2, so will help patients fight the infection.

Clinical trials are currently underway to find out if the BCG vaccine will help.

What is the BCG Vaccine?

Related questions

What other health conditions is the BCG Vaccine being studied for?

What happens next?

We need to wait for the trials to be completed to find out how well the BCG vaccine works to reduce the rates of COVID-19, and whether it reduces the severity of illness and speeds up patients recovery.

The studies will also be looking for any side effects or any unexpected issues that may reduce BCG usefulness in COVID-19 patients.

Bottom line

References
  1. https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/search?query=eudract_number:2020-000919-69
  2. https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/news/australia-bcg-vaccine-trial-covid-19/
  3. https://www.mcri.edu.au/news/murdoch-children%E2%80%99s-research-institute-trial-preventative-vaccine-covid-19-healthcare-workers
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BCG_vaccine
  5. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.02806/full
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25725054
  7. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/can-century-old-tb-vaccine-steel-immune-system-against-new-coronavirus
  8. http://misbair.org.au/about/
  9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6896902/
  10. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/vaccines-licensed-use-united-states
  11. https://www.fda.gov/media/78331/download

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