The coronavirus has affected everyone’s lives, no one has been spared by this deadly disease. Millions of people have lost their loved ones during this pandemic. Now, everyone is waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine which will “intensify and strengthen” the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Making vaccines isn’t the easiest of jobs and requires a lot of input and scientific knowledge. So amid this situation of crisis, here is some good news to give you a sigh of relief.
It is now expected that the vaccine will be available in India soon. Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla claimed that India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive would begin in 2021 and normal life can be expected to return by October 2021 after everyone is vaccinated.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that a nasal Covid-19 vaccine could come into the market soon. Bharat Biotech, the Indian vaccine maker, is all set to start phase 1 and 2 trials of a nasal vaccine at Gillurkar Multi Speciality Hospital in Nagpur.
Bharat Biotech’s head Dr Krishna Ella said on Thursday, “We are working on a nasal vaccine and have partnered with the Washington University School of Medicine. We are working on a single dose vaccine compare to two-dose inactivated vaccine. Research has proven that the nasal vaccine is the best choice. Coronavirus also attacks through the nose.”
“We are all set to host the trials for the nasal Covaxin in the next two weeks. Enough scientific evidence is available that vaccines given through nasal route are more effective than injected ones. Bharat Biotech is in the process to submit a proposal to the DCGI shortly,” said Dr Chandrashekar Gillurkar.
The trials will be conducted on at least 30-45 healthy volunteers above the age of 18 till the age of 65 years at four trial sites in the country — Bhuvneshwar, Pune, Nagpur and Hyderabad.
Presently, Bharat Biotech is working on two intranasal vaccines — one with US-based vaccine maker FluGen and scientists from the University of Wisconsin Madison and the other with the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Experts say that the nasal variant of the Covid-19 vaccine, which is currently under trial in the US, could play a major role in stopping transmission of the virus.
WHAT IS NASAL VACCINE?
A nasal vaccine is a vaccine that is given in one dose via the nose and is effective in preventing infection in mice susceptible to the novel coronavirus.
A study done by the University of Washington School of Medicine in St Louis found that the nasal delivery route created a strong immune response throughout the body, but it was particularly effective in the nose and respiratory tract, preventing the infection from taking hold in the body.
As far as the price of the Covid-19 vaccine is concerned, Certain countries across the globe have announced free Covid-19 vaccination for all citizens. Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has made an announcement, stating that all people of the country will be given free Covid vaccine. The article was sourced from zeenews.
