The cases of corona infection in India are decreasing continuously and now the authorities have intensified the exercise to vaccinate people and protect them from the third wave of the dreaded virus. Efforts are also being made to produce the vaccine on a large scale and make it available in the shortest possible time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that research on nasal spray is going on, and if successful, it will enhance India’s vaccination campaign.
The nasal vaccine is given through the nose. Its goal is to deliver the dose directly to the respiratory tract, much like a nasal spray. Last year, scientists developed a vaccine against Covid-19 that can be given in a single dose through the nose and was effective in preventing infection in rats. Research published in the journal Cell suggested that delivery via the nose targets the initial site of infection and causes a greater immune response. A few days ago, the World Health Organization said that trials are underway to make a nasal vaccine in India, and it could ‘be a game changer for children’. Bharat Biotech’s developed intranasal vaccine BBV154 is already in the pre-clinical trial stage.
No needle is needed to take the dose of this vaccine and healthcare workers are not required to give it. A weak form of corona virus is used in it. According to scientists, the important advantage of intranasal vaccine is that it produces a strong immune response at the site of entry of the virus, ie the nose. This helps protect against viruses and transmission. If the corona virus can be stopped at this point of entry, then it will not be able to penetrate the lungs to cause damage.
Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine candidate is in the first phase of human trials. The company claims that it helps prevent both infection and Covid-19. According to the report, Bharat Biotech expects that by the end of the year 100 million doses of its nasal vaccine may be released.