Covid-19: A Century-Old Vaccine’s Potential to Save Lives
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Chapter 1: A Personal Reflection
On October 8, 2020, I penned an article entitled “How a century-old Army vaccine may have saved my life.” This piece caught the attention of The Ascent and was chosen for wider dissemination. It was a personal narrative reflecting my early military experiences and the significant words of an army medic that resurfaced during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This vaccine may one day save your life!” he said.
While I cannot definitively say he was correct, I have noticed a marked improvement in my overall health since receiving the vaccine. Previously, I frequently battled the flu and other respiratory ailments. However, during my military service, I remained illness-free.
When COVID-19 emerged, I adhered strictly to respiratory hygiene and social distancing guidelines, striving to maintain my daily routines as much as possible during the pandemic. For over two years, I managed to avoid the virus until the arrival of the Omicron variant in May 2022. Even then, my experience was nearly asymptomatic.
I might have remained unaware of my infection had it not been for my girlfriend, who exhibited symptoms and subsequently tested positive. Upon her positive result, I performed a rapid antigen test and, even before the outcome, suspected I was also infected, albeit without symptoms.
Rapid antigen tests have been recognized by the WHO as effective and have largely replaced laboratory-based RT-PCR tests. Despite my high viral load confirming my infection, my immune system was effectively controlling the virus's spread.
This experience prompted me to reflect on the early insights I had regarding the TB vaccine. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is the most widely administered vaccine globally, with over 4 billion doses given, yet it is rarely used in the United States.
Recent studies appear to validate the effectiveness of BCG vaccination in combating various respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Results indicate that the vaccine demonstrated efficacy in 92% of cases.
Effects of BCG Vaccination Against COVID-19
Before the pandemic, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) were exploring methods for the prevention and treatment of Type 1 diabetes. However, when COVID-19 emerged, they seized the opportunity to evaluate the effects of BCG inoculation on respiratory diseases.
They conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with individuals diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The experimental group received three doses of the BCG vaccine, while the control group received none. The findings published in Cell Reports Medicine highlighted how multiple doses of BCG could potentially confer protection against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
“The researchers found that 12.5% of placebo-treated individuals and only 1% of BCG-treated individuals met the criteria for confirmed COVID-19, indicating a vaccine effectiveness of 92%. No systemic adverse events related to BCG were reported.”
Delving deeper into the biological mechanisms, scientists concluded that BCG vaccination enhanced the T-Cell immune response against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), providing additional protection.
This insightful video titled What COVID-19 Has Cost India's Youth: Of Lost Hopes & Broken Dreams explores the significant impacts of the pandemic on young lives, revealing lost opportunities and shattered dreams.
Final Thoughts
Over the past two years, I have frequently questioned why the WHO has not acknowledged the TB vaccine's potential role in combating COVID-19. Was the pharmaceutical industry prioritizing the development of an advanced “silver bullet” over funding research for an affordable vaccine that has existed since 1921 and could have mitigated severe cases among vulnerable populations during the early stages of the pandemic? It appears we may never find the answer.
In this heartfelt video Chat with my 100-year-old Grandmother about Coronavirus, a personal conversation sheds light on the pandemic experience from the perspective of the elderly, providing wisdom and insights that resonate across generations.
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References:
Denise L. Faustman, Amanda Lee, Emma R. Hostetter, Anna Aristarkhova, Nathan C. Ng, Gabriella F. Shpilsky, Lisa Tran, Grace Wolfe, Hiroyuki Takahashi, Hans F. Dias, Joan Braley, Hui Zheng, David A. Schoenfeld, Willem M. Kühtreiber. Multiple BCG vaccinations for prevention of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in Type 1 diabetes. Cell Reports Medicine, 2022; 100728 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100728