The central government has approved Bharat Biotech’s needle-free intranasal COVID-19 vaccine. According to a report by the news agency PTI, the intranasal COVID-19 vaccine will be available as a booster dose for those aged above 18 years.
According to reports, the vaccine will be introduced on Co-WIN, the government website by next week, however, the company has not yet released any information on its pricing.
Last month, the nasal vaccine, BBV154 or Incovacc received a green signal from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under restricted use in an emergency situation for the 18+ population in India as heterologous booster doses.
According to Bharat Biotech, the intranasal vaccine has several advantages because the nasal route has excellent potential for vaccination due to the organised immune systems of the nasal mucosa. It is also non-invasive and needle-free and it is easy to administer.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Earlier in the day, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya had informed the Parliament that the states had been asked to carry out genome sequencing of positive samples. The random sampling of international arrivals at airports has started, he said.