After scanning COVID-19 data of 29 countries across the world, a group of city-based researchers has suggested that factors such as BCG vaccination in developing nations like India have led to a situation where the rate of contamination and fatality from the disease is less than that in the developed world.
“Our research showed that the rate of affected peopleis significantly lower in countries like ours than developed nations which didnot make BCG vaccination mandatory,” said Prof Arindam Banik, director ofa management institute, who led the group of four researchers from reputedinstitutes.
“Such vaccination somehow dilutes the virulence ofnovel coronavirus and develops immunity among a large number of people,”he told PTI. Besides India, infants in countries like Portugal, Turkey, SouthKorea, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia get BCG vaccination and all thesecountries have witnessed less COVID19 cases. Whereas in the USA, Italy and theUK where that vaccination is not mandatory, a large number of people wereafflicted with the disease, Banik said.”The 45-day period varies from one countryto another. If the starting point is February-end for Italy, it is early Marchfor England, mid-January for China and March-end for India,” Banik toldPTI.