Rationale for Randomized Clinical Trials Investigating the Potential of BCG Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19 Infection

Abstract

Despite the implementation of mitigation measures, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is still spreading worldwide, and has caused more than 1 million deaths so far. Although recent reports indicate that three vaccine candidates are effective against SARS-CoV-2, more time is needed to generate enough doses for the general population. Meanwhile, frontline healthcare workers are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. To avoid collapse of the medical care system, there is a need to develop novel approaches to limit SARS-CoV-2 spread. Through a process called trained immunity, the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine boosts the action of innate immune cells, resulting in a nonspecific reduction in the incidence of viral infections. Due to this immunomodulatory action, the BCG vaccine is currently used as a therapeutic in bladder cancer. Data collected from epidemiological and observational studies indicate that BCG vaccination might provide protection against COVID-19. While these observations do not provide evidence of causality and are limited by cofounding and intrinsic biases, it is crucial to explore the hypothesis that BCG vaccination may provide a nonspecific innate immune boost and therefore protect against COVID-19 in randomized controlled clinical trials, particularly for people at higher risk of developing COVID-19, such as frontline healthcare workers.