NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JULY 15
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has given his nod for a trial by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Tuberculosis institute here to study the efficacy of BCG vaccine in the elderly in the fight against COVID-19, the government said on Wednesday.
BCG vaccine shall be administered on trial basis for adults aged 60-95, ordered by Hon’ble @CMOTamilNadu. This is aimed at reducing the #Covid mortality rate in Senior people. National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis will start the pilot program soon. #ICMR #Vijayabaskar
— Dr.C.Vijayabaskar (@Vijayabaskarofl) July 15, 2020
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, in an order, has given the State’s approval after ICMR sought Tamil Nadu government’s permission to study the efficacy of the Bacillus Calmette- Gurin (BCG) vaccine in senior citizens at its National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) at Chetpet here, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said.
“The ICMR’s tuberculosis institute is set to begin the trial very soon,” he said in a statement. He hoped that vaccinating the elderly with the time tested BCG would help reduce the intensity of COVID-19, admissions at hospitals and mortality rates. Describing the state’s approval by Palaniswami for a trial here as among measures to protect people’s welfare during the ongoing fight against COVID-19, Vijayabaskar said anti-viral measures will further be stepped up.
The NIRT under the ICMR is an internationally recognised institution for TB research.