A new nasal spray can make a valuable contribution to containing Corona.Image: Getty Images
Good News
According to an analysis by the Barmer health insurance company, respiratory infections reached new peaks in the first weeks of summer. Corona-related absences played only a minor role, at seven to eleven percent, but the numbers have also increased here.
Vaccines were developed early on in the fight against the coronavirus. Traditionally, vaccinations are administered with a needle. But there are other ways to administer a vaccine than injection.
There has been hope for some time now that nasal spray can also be used to contain the corona virus. A study now delivers results that are promising – not only for combating corona, but also other respiratory diseases.
Promising results for nasal Covid-19 vaccine
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been working on a nasal spray vaccine against corona for some time. They have published their results in the journal “Science Advances” published.
These show that vaccinations that are administered specifically via the mucous membranes in the mouth and nose can make an important contribution to containing corona infections.
The researchers from St. Louis initially tested the vaccine on hamsters. They were able to show that hamsters that had been administered the nasal vaccine iNCOVACC no longer transmitted the coronavirus to their conspecifics.
Vaccinations are usually administered by injection and the antibodies against a virus are then formed in the blood. Unlike these vaccines, however, active substances are intended to prevent the transmission of viruses via the mucous membranes.
An infection first affects the mucous membranes in the nose and lungs. If an active ingredient could be used at this point, it would be more effective. At least that was the assumption, because until now it has been difficult to prove that mucous membrane vaccines such as iNCOVACC really prevent transmission, writes the “daily News“. Until now.
Nasal corona vaccine approved in India
The study now shows how effective this other form of vaccine can actually be in animals. If mucous membrane vaccines generally offer such advantages, they could also be used against other respiratory diseases in the future. In any case, the Covid-19 vaccine “iNCOVACC” has already been approved in India.
Watson is now on Whatsapp
Now on Whatsapp and Instagram: your watson update! We provide you here on Whatsapp with the watson highlights of the day. Only once a day – no spam, no blabla, just seven links. Promised! Would you rather be informed on Instagram? Here you can find our broadcast channel.
And researchers are already working on the next vaccine. The authors of the study are working on an active ingredient against bird flu, which is currently on the rise. Although bird flu primarily affects birds – as the name suggests – the virus could also pose a risk to humans.
It has been known for some time that rising sea temperatures have many fatal consequences for marine life and the climate. For the past year, the world’s oceans have been hotter than ever before.
