To counter the media hype, misinformation and confusion around BCG vaccination for COVID-19 (currently unproven to have any protection), Madhu and his team have published a series of op-eds and media interviews:
– Universal BCG vaccination and protection against COVID-19: critique of an ecological study (Nature Microbiology)
– BCG against Coronavirus: Less hype and more evidence, please (Forbes)
– Why a decades-old TB vaccine is getting attention in the fight against Covid-19 (Stat News)
– Does the BCG vaccine work against coronavirus? We just don’t know (Wired)
– No proof yet that BCG benefits against coronavirus, says expert (Q&A in The Hindu)
– Gender & COVID-19: why diversity is critical to solving global health emergencies (WomenLift webinar)
– An old vaccine vs. COVID-19 (The Take, by Al Jazeera)
– A skeptic’s guide to ecologic studies during a pandemic (Forbes)
– The coronavirus pandemic: impact of the lockdown on tuberculosis care (Podcast from the Centre for Policy Research)
Madhu also wrote about ‘Covidisation’ of academic research in Nature Microbiology. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has inspired a flood of research activities, special funding opportunities, and potential career paths. But this ‘Covidisation’ can come at the risk of undermining other areas of research and scholarship.
Other quotes and citations of interest:
– Among the most vulnerable to coronavirus: The tens of millions who carry HIV and tuberculosis (Washington Post)
– Is BCG effective against coronavirus? (India today)
– Study that suggests BCG vaccine may protect against Covid-19 is flawed – TB experts (BizNews)
– After the pandemic: How will COVID-19 transform global health and development? (Devex)
– Can BCG vaccine protect against Covid-19? Here’s why the excitement needs to be tempered (ThePrint)
– Considering BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of COVID-19 (The Lancet)