Vaccination for some childhood diseases may impact the outcome of covid-19 infections

  1. Irene Gobe
  2. Garesego F Koto
  3. Margaret Mokomane
  4. Kesaobaka Molebatsi
  5. Ishmael Kasvosve
  6. Modisa S Motswaledi

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Abstract

Background

COVID-19 found the world in a state of unpreparedness. While research efforts to develop a vaccine are on-going, others have suggested the use of available vaccines to boost innate immunity.

Objective

We analysed three databases: UNICEF Immunization Coverage, Worldometer Corona Virus Updates and World Bank List of Economies to establish the association, if any, between vaccination for various diseases and COVID-19 death rates and recoveries across world economies.

Results

Mean percentage death rates were lower in countries that vaccinated for Hepatitis-B birth dose (2.53% vs 3.79%, p = 0.001), Bacille Calmette-Guérin Vaccine (2.93% vs 5.10%, p = 0.025) and Inactivated Polio Vaccine 1 st dose (2.8% vs 4.01%, p = 0.022) than those which did not report vaccination. In high income countries, a significant negative correlation with death rates was observed with vaccination for Measles-containing vaccine 2 nd dose (r = –0.290, p = 0.032), Rubella-containing vaccine 1 st dose (r = –0.325, p = 0.015), Hepatitis B 3 rd dose (r = –0.562, p = 3.3 x10 −5 ), Inactivated Polio vaccine 1 st dose (r = –0.720, p = 0.008). Inactivated Polio Vaccine 1st dose and Measles-containing vaccine 2 nd dose also correlated with better recoveries. In Low Income countries, only Rubella-containing vaccine correlated with lower deaths while Yellow fever vaccine was associated with poorer recoveries.

Conclusion

Our analysis corroborates the potential benefit of vaccination and warrant further research to explore the rationale for repurposing other vaccines to fight COVID-19.

Article activity feed

  1. Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

    Jagdish Shukla

    Review 2: "Vaccination for some childhood diseases may impact the outcome of covid-19 infections"

    This study reports a negative correlation between vaccination against non-coronavirus infectious diseases and COVID-19 death rates for patients diagnosed in high and low-income countries. Reviewers deemed the study potentially informative, but warn of confounding variables.

  2. Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

    Masako Kinoshita

    Review 1: "Vaccination for some childhood diseases may impact the outcome of covid-19 infections"

    This study reports a negative correlation between vaccination against non-coronavirus infectious diseases and COVID-19 death rates for patients diagnosed in high and low-income countries. Reviewers deemed the study potentially informative, but warn of confounding variables.

  4. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2020.09.02.20186528: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Institutional Review Board Statementnot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    No key resources detected.

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: An explicit section about the limitations of the techniques employed in this study was not found. We encourage authors to address study limitations.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  5. Version published to 10.1101/2020.09.02.20186528v1 on medRxiv