Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) started, on October 19, the clinical trial of the BCG vaccine as a form of treatment against Covid-19. The Australian Brace Trial project aims to understand if the immunizing agent can reduce the impacts caused by the disease, especially in healthcare workers.

In addition to preventing tuberculosis, BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) has shown positive results for reducing damage caused by other respiratory infections. To test the effectiveness against the coronavirus, the trial will include two thousand volunteers in Campo Grande (MS) and one thousand in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Before receiving the vaccine, volunteers will undergo an interview and serological testing to prove that they have not been infected. All will be followed up by the research team for up to one year, through weekly phone calls. If they have any symptoms of Covid-19, they can collect the nasal swab to assess the presence of Sars-Cov-2. In addition, quarterly returns will be scheduled to verify, through serology, the presence of possible asymptomatic infections.

Only healthcare workers, nurses, physicians, technicians, physiotherapists, receptionists and doormen, over 18 years old, can apply for volunteering. This is due to the increased exposure to the virus, which can accelerate the achievement of statistical results.

Approximately 10,000 volunteers will be vaccinated in countries such as Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Worldwide, the project is led by Australian researcher Nigel Curtis, from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Gates Foundation).

With information from Fiocruz News Agency.