Instapundit links to a
United Press International article about an intriguing side effect of a vaccine for TB, apparently widely in use in the third world where TB is common.
The vaccine, which is routinely given to children in countries where TB infection is common, is called Bacille Calmette-Guérin, or BCG for short. It is not widely used in the United States.
There is some preliminary evidence it may be useful in preventing Covid-19.
For the study, Escobar and colleagues at the U.S. National Institutes of Health collected COVID-19 death data from around the world.
They adjusted for variables such as income, access to education and health services, population and age distribution. Through all of the variables, there was a persistent link between higher rates of BCG vaccination and lower peak COVID-19 death rates.
BCG vaccines have been shown to provide broad protection for several viral respiratory illnesses in addition to tuberculosis, he noted.
Faster, please.
