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When asked why the coronavirus has affected East Germany so much less than the West, Institute President Robert Koch provided two highly probable explanations this week, and one hypothesis.
It is true that skiers brought the virus from Austria to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, in particular, at the beginning of the epidemic, where large events in part fueled the spread. It is also highly likely that the higher population density in some regions of western Germany has contributed to the virus being able to spread uncontrollably initially.
Additionally, RKI chief Lothar Wieler mentioned a third point. A working hypothesis, he said, has not yet been tested and it is unclear if it can be tested at all. It is the BCG vaccine, a live vaccine against tuberculosis, in which those affected are injected with weakened pathogens and which was mandatory in the RDA.
According to the theory, it could not only prepare the immune system for a tuberculosis infection, but also strengthen it in the fight against other pathogens such as the corona virus. Vaccination has not been recommended in Germany since 1998 because the risk of tuberculosis infection is too low and this does not justify the side effects.
Why BCG Vaccine Can Protect Against Crown
It can hardly be clarified whether vaccines from the GDR era actually contribute to the slow spread of the coronavirus in many parts of eastern Germany. However, researchers are already working on studies to show whether the vaccines now administered can reduce the risk of coronavirus infection or weaken the course of Covid-19.
For decades, scientists have been pursuing the idea that live vaccines like the BCG vaccine not only arm the body against the vaccinated pathogen, but also cause a nonspecific reaction from the immune system, which protects against various other pathogens. The WHO classified this hypothesis in 2014 as at least plausible. It could be explained, among other things, by epigenetics: chemical changes in genes that affect the frequency with which they are read.
In a recent article in “The Lancet,” a team of researchers, including the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus, described the scientific evidence that the BCG vaccine is used to fight the coronavirus. At the same time, they warn against widespread use before an effect is tested.
Studies have shown, among other things, that the BCG vaccine can reduce the risk of respiratory disease, the authors write. In addition, they report, among other things, on an investigation in Guinea-Bissau, a country where child mortality and diseases such as HIV, diarrhea and pneumonia keep life expectancy below 60 years.
The BCG vaccine was able to reduce mortality in low birth weight infants by 38 percent. In particular, deaths from pneumonia and sepsis decreased.
How researchers want to test hypotheses
However, from a scientific point of view, these studies are only the pillars of a theory that has yet to be verified to detect the coronavirus. In April, a study was launched in the Netherlands with 1,000 doctors and nurses who received either the BCG vaccine or a placebo.
The researchers want to monitor how often employees of the two groups are infected with the coronavirus. Sufficient volunteers reported in a few days. One of the two study directors is one of the authors of the current contribution from “Lancet”.
In addition, the Utrecht University Clinic began a study with 1,600 people aged 60 and over to determine whether the BCG vaccine can reduce the risk of infection or a severe course of the disease in older people. Similar studies are underway in Australia and England.
And also in Germany, scientists are working on research with 1,000 volunteers from the clinic and the emergency services. However, the decades-old BCG vaccine should not be tested, but a genetically engineered version of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Infection.
Why vaccinating everyone is not a good idea yet
As long as it is unclear if BCG vaccine protects against coronavirus and how well it protects it, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends using it only in controlled studies. In the “Lancet”, researchers give four reasons for this:
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For one thing, there are already bottlenecks in the vaccine supply. This could endanger children living in areas at high risk for tuberculosis and who still urgently need vaccination to this day.
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It is not yet possible to say whether the vaccine will do anything for the coronavirus. There are descriptions of areas such as East Germany, where there is a high rate of BCG vaccination and few patients with Covid 19. However, these were not sufficient as evidence, the researchers write. They believe that vaccines administered decades ago in childhood are unlikely to continue to have a relevant effect.
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If the BCG vaccine doesn’t help, it could give you the wrong sense of security.
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Controlled studies are needed to analyze the possible negative consequences of vaccination against Covid disease 19. This is important to rule out that vaccination in a minority can work in exactly the opposite way and aggravate the disease.
It is clear that the BCG vaccine can reduce the risk of infection, if it does, but it does not have the same effect as a targeted vaccine. However, if their effects are confirmed, they may be a time-saving tool until a targeted vaccine becomes available in future pandemics, the researchers write in “Lancet.”
