Scientists at the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany, have made a significant breakthrough in their nasal vaccine research for Covid-19. They have created a shot that can shut down Covid-19 in the nose and throat, areas of the body where the virus initially starts to spread.

Administering the vaccine via the nose instead of injecting it into the arm allows the immune system to act as soon as the virus enters the body through the respiratory system, which can more effectively stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

This new vaccine will be made with a live but weakened form of the virus that causes Covid-19 and when administered, the vaccine triggers an immune system reaction that teaches the body how to recognise and fight off the real virus.

Initial results of the nasal vaccine show a much stronger immune response than either of the two doses of an mRNA-based vaccine, or with the option that uses an adenovirus to ferry the vaccine instructions into cells, according to a study published in the medical journal, Nature Microbiology.

According to the World Health Organization’s vaccine tracker, at least four Covid-19 nasal vaccines have reached late-stage human testing and will prove to be a powerful tool in the fight against this deadly virus. Keep safe and healthy!

18th April 2023