Shanghai, China, started administering the world’s first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday.
According to a notice posted on the city’s official social media site, the aerosol vaccine, taken by mouth, is being provided free of charge as a booster dose to those previously vaccinated.
Needle-free vaccines can convince people who don’t want to be vaccinated to get them, and because they’re easier to administer, it might even promote vaccination in poorer countries.
China hasn’t made vaccinations mandatory but wants more people to get a booster before it slows its economy and eases stringent epidemic restrictions that are increasingly at odds with the rest of the world.
In a video released by the Chinese state media, people at the health center can be seen holding the short snouts of translucent white cups in their mouths. The attached text states that after slow breathing, one person held the breath for 5 seconds and the whole procedure was completed within 20 seconds.
One expert said, “An oral vaccine could also prevent the virus before it reaches the rest of the respiratory tract, but this depends in part on the size of the droplet.”
Indian immunologist Dr. According to Vinita Bal, larger drops will train defenses in the mouth and throat areas, while smaller ones will travel further through the body.
A regulatory body in India has approved another needleless approach, a nasal vaccine, but has not yet been launched. A vaccine developed in the United States and licensed by Bharat Biotech, an Indian vaccine manufacturer, is injected into the nose.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about a dozen nasal vaccines are being tested worldwide.
