Omicron: Nasal Vaccine gets clearance amidst global COVID threat

Nasal vaccine is here: In the midst of an escalating global coronavirus conditions, the nasal vaccine has got a go-ahead as India ramps up its vaccination campaign. The nasal vaccination has been granted the go-ahead by the expert group that authorizes vaccines today. In order to gauge readiness, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a Covid review meeting.

It comes as a major relief for the ones who prefer avoiding injections, accordingly the nasal vaccine is thought to be superior to its counterpart injectable version.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a high-level conference on Covid-19 on Thursday to assess the situation in India as cases of the virus are on the rise in China and other nations.

A high-level meeting for the same objective was convened by the union Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya the day before Modi’s meeting.

The Union government has so far requested, among other things, that the states and Union territories (UTs) enhance genome sequencing and enforce Covid-appropriate behavior. Additionally, random sampling of foreign arrivals at airports has begun.

Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister, Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, Rajesh Bhushan, the Health Secretary, and Dr. VK Paul of the Niti Aayog were all present at the meeting by video call.

What are Nasal vaccines? better than Injections?

Compared to their injectable counterparts, nasal vaccinations provide a number of advantages. Nasal vaccinations offer protection exactly where the virus enters the body, in the nose or upper respiratory system, in addition to the convenience of storage, delivery, and less waste production.

The union Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s call for vaccination and Covid-appropriate behavior, including the use of masks in crowded locations, has brought immunization into sharp spotlight.
The first intra-nasal COVID vaccination ever created for use in emergency conditions in people aged 18 and above was approved by India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) on December 1. Both an inhalable vaccination and a nasal spray vaccine have received approval from China. Additionally, Iran and Russia have produced and used their own mucosal vaccines.

India reports fresh 185 infections

The number of coronavirus infections in India decreased to 3,402 active cases while 185 new infections were recorded, according to figures provided on Thursday by the Union Health Ministry.
4.46 crore cases of Covid were reported in total (4,46,76,515). The data was updated at 8 am and showed that there had been 5,30,681 fatalities, with one being recorded from Delhi in the previous 24 hours.