Tired of getting Covid-19 jabs? China has some good news for you – an inhaled version of the vaccine has just been approved, which is effective after just one breath. The inhaled vaccine, known as Convidecia Air, has been given the green light by The World Health Organization in addition to the Chinese government.
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How it works
The needle-free vaccine, produced by Cansino Biologics, has patients breathe in the same antigens used in the traditional vaccine. Rather than being injected in liquid form, a nebulizer is used to convert the liquid vaccine into an aerosol that is inhaled through the mouth, explains Fortune.
Studies have proven the success of this administration method, with patients who received the inhaled vaccine as a first booster possessing more Covid-19 antibodies than patients who received a traditional booster vaccine from Sinovac.
Even better, the inhaled vaccine is effective at combatting Omicron. Neutralizing antibodies were found in 92.5% of patients who received the aerosol vaccine within 4 weeks following administration, compared to none who received the booster jab, even after a 6-month follow-up period. Scientists say the increased immunity against omicron is due to the vaccine entering the body through the nose and upper airways, which is where Covid-19 develops.
Vice President of Scripps Research in the US, Eric Topol, stated:
Once [Omicron] gets in through our nasal mucosa, or our oral mucosa, upper airway. That’s game over [for] infection… The best way… to induce the mucosal immunity right at the upper airway is with either nasal or oral vaccines.
What’s next?
Researchers like Topol have urged the US government to accelerate their efforts to produce inhaled vaccines, like China.
Though, it remains unclear how successful China’s new aerosol vaccine will be. Despite nearly 90% of their population having been vaccinated at least twice, China’s zero Covid-19 policy may actually have the opposite effect than it intends. Because the country still has not transitioned into the acceptance phase of learning to live with Covid-19, citizens may not be tempted to try new vaccines or administration methods, argues Fortune.
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