Intra-nasal coronavirus vaccine will be much easier to use and deliver, says Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said on Monday that intra-nasal coronavirus vaccines will be far easier to deliver than intra-muscular injections. These inoculations are administered in a single dose through the nose by spraying or squirting the solution into a person's nostrils instead of injecting it.

Sharing a BusinessToday.In report stating that the new nasal vaccine can be a game-changer for COVID-19 testing, Shaw tweeted that these inoculations will be "far easier to deliver than intra muscular injections." She added that "Asha workers can be trained to deliver it at a mass scale, unlike IM (intra-muscular) injections which will need nurses, doctors and MBBS students which is a challenge."

Scientists are hoping to produce superior immune responses with nasal vaccines that are said to have numerous advantages over intramuscular shots that are injected into the muscles.

The vaccines that are sprayed into the nose or inhaled directly target the airway cells invaded by the virus. They cut down on the need for needles, syringes, or alcohol swabs.

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These vaccines also need not be stored and shipped at low temperatures thereby reducing the need for healthcare workers to administer them, and can be used by a person himself/herself just like a regular nasal spray.

Researchers across the globe are pacing to come up with a vaccine against coronavirus, which has claimed over 1.1 million lives globally. Several vaccine candidates are being tested in numerous human clinical trials that are currently underway.

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