New Delhi: A century-old tuberculosis vaccine could be a protective measure against COVID-19, according to some reports. The researchers at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute are going to conduct a trial of the Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) vaccine with 4,000 health care professionals in hospitals around Australia to determine if it can reduce COVID-19 symptoms.

World Health Organisation (WHO) is reinforcing the international groups to collaborate with the Australian study led by Nigel Curtis, head of infectious diseases research, at the Murdoch Children Hospital, the report said.

In the study, the researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne will be discerning whether the vaccine Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) which has been widely used for about 100 years can reduce COVID-19 symptoms.

The researchers informed that the medicine originally developed against tuberculosis is still given to over 130 million babies annually for that purpose. The BCG vaccine also boosts humans’ ‘frontline’ immunity, training it to respond to germs with greater intensity,” researchers said in a statement.

The subjects will be enrolled in the trial within weeks following fast-track approval from health authorities.

“The clock is definitely ticking,” said lead researcher Nigel Curtis, a professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Melbourne and head of the infectious diseases unit at the city’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

According to Bloomberg, some participating workers will be vaccinated against seasonal influenza and TB, while others receive the flu shot alone in order to set a baseline for comparison.

Researchers will be taking the blood samples at the start and end of the trial to determine who contracted Coronavirus, and participants will log any symptoms, the outlet reported. Midway through the trial, analysts will review the results for any indication that the TB vaccine is effective.

Similar trials are being conducted in several other countries including the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.