As the government machinery prepares to combat COVID-19, the Nasal vaccine is seen as a viable option.
Nasal Vaccine. Credits – Business Today
What is the Nasal Vaccine?
Nasal vaccine is India’s first intranasal vaccine for COVID-19 . Unlike the usual vaccines, Nasal vaccines are administered through the nose. The booster dose of this vaccine will be available for everyone who is above the age of 18
For greater safety, those who have taken Covishied and Covaxin can take the Bharat Biotech developed-Nasal Vaccine.
Nasal Vaccine – The Way Forward?
Dr. Anurag Agarwal from the Biosciences and Health Research at the Trivedi School Biosciences of Ashoka University talked about the effectiveness of Nasal Vaccines.
“Something like the nasal vaccine works. That’s because it provides local immunity as well as the convenience of administering with no need for syringes and trained manpower. Second, it will be practical and affordable. This would mean not only lower costs but also easy distribution, no need for cold chains with very low temperatures, and so on. Third, it could be developed as a multivalent to cover a wider spectrum of the Sars-CoV-2 virus” stated, Dr. Agarwal
World Health Organisation
“Intramuscular shots prompt an immune response that includes T cells, which destroy infected cells, and B cells, which produce antibodies that ‘neutralise’ pathogens.” stated a report published in Nature.
The Nasal vaccine prompts an immune response and also activates the immune cells in the mucosal tissue of the nose.
The Nasal Vaccine will soon be available at the Co-WIN portal of the Indian government. Besides, the vaccines can also be accessed in private centres. According to the officials Nasal vaccine “will boost India’s coverage of precaution and dosage to the eligible population.”
