By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Scientists from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published a study in March 2020, which claimed that the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination protects people from the Covid-19 infection.
BCG is an anti-tuberculosis vaccination given to neonatal.
The researchers said they have found a connection between the vaccination and reduced death rate. They claimed that in countries where the vaccination is a national policy, death rate is 5.8 times lower.
The research states: “Although the research is still ongoing, statistical data from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has shown that death rates in countries where BCG have been administered as part of the immunisation routine are lower, when compared to countries where the vaccine is not used.”
The researchers find a link between countries who have no national policy on BCG and high mortality rate as a result of the COVID-19 as US, UK, Iran and Italy. They also cite Japan where the BCG is nationally administrated with low death rate.
The research has been widely published in reputable Nigerian and international media organisations with headlines suggesting that the BCG vaccine protects people from COVID-19.
The word protect, according to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, means to keep safe from harm.
People, on the other hand means human beings in general, irrespective of demography.
TheNiche fact checked the claim and immediately found that the research is a pre-print, meaning it has not been peer reviewed by reputable experts.
For a research to be relied upon, and for it to qualify for laboratory trials, it must have been peer reviewed by reputable experts. This aspect is missing in the research.
The World Health Organisation, which is the global advisory health body, has also said that the research is not backed by any evidence.
“There is no evidence that the Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG) protects people against infection with COVID-19 virus,” it said.
The claim is therefore unproven.
