India gets 1st Covid nasal vaccine | Things to know about Bharat Biotech’s jab

Bharat Biotech Covid Vaccine: Bharat Biotech’s needle-free intranasal vaccine will now be used for primary immunization of those aged 18 years and above.

India's first Covid-19 nasal vaccine, manufactured by Bharat Biotech, has been approved for emergency use in those aged above 18 years by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Tuesday, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted. With this, India adds an intranasal, needle-free vaccine in its arsenal to fight against the Covid pandemic.

Bharat Biotech Covid Vaccine: Bharat Biotech’s Covid nasal vaccine has been approved. (Representative Image)

Here’s everything you need to know about the Covid nasal vaccine:

What is a nasal vaccine?

This kind of vaccine is sprayed into the nostrils and then inhaled as opposed to the injectable shots which are also referred to as intramuscular vaccines as they are injected into the tissue between the skin and the muscles.

Why could a nasal vaccine be useful for Covid?

The route that Covid chooses to enter the body is through tissues that line the nose, mouth, lungs and digestive tract. Therefore, an intranasal vaccine can help act against the virus as soon as it enters the body, experts say, as opposed to the intramuscular vaccines that use immune cells to fight infection.

Do nasal vaccines help in mass immunization?

As nasal vaccines do not use needles and syringes, they can be used much better for mass vaccination, as the cost of the same can be effectively reduced, some experts believe.