Old TB vaccine gets new look in tests for coronavirus protection | Hacker News Reader

Old TB vaccine gets new look in tests for coronavirus protection

wsj.com

15 pointsnradov7 comments

I saw the "BCG might the magic key" articles back in March, but the numbers/countries didn't add up.

The MMR-version of the same "this is the magic key" story seemed much more promising (except for Iran) ...

I'm not sure how countries that routinely did BCG vaccinations such as the UK and Italy ended up getting hit so hard? Or is it only very recent BCG vaccinations that "work" for C19 (which is great news for Sanofi shareholders).

I don't know, maybe I'm getting jaded ... or maybe I have been watching too much "V for Vendetta" (vis-à-vis the St. Mary's Virus & "cure")! Such a good movie ...

>The MMR-version of the same "this is the magic key" story seemed much more promising (except for Iran) ...

Iran only administered a single MMR shot and consequently had lower levels of protection.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197120...

Italy had a inadequate MMR vaccination, too:

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5243a4.htm

See this report on a multi-country analysis from last week:

https://www.contractpharma.com/content-microsite/covid-19/20...

There was a bit excitement around that MMR vaccine last month, but I haven't seen any updates since then. No major news outlets seem to have picked up on it, and the post on HN got about 3 comments. Not quite sure what to make of that.

According to wikipedia, BCG was never required in Italy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BCG_vaccine#Europe

Indeed, it's not mandatory as far as I can remember. I had the shot done as part of the now discontinued mandatory military service.

For everyone else (except, IIRC, medical workers) it's optional.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article24276248...

Could a TB vaccine common in Latin America protect from COVID? New study casts doubt

https://archive.md/iK56C

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