The Chinese city of Shanghai began administering what is believed to be the world’s first inhalable COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday.
An announcement on the city’s official social media accounts said the vaccine is a mouth-to-mouth mist and is being provided free of charge as a booster dose for those who have been previously vaccinated.
Scientists hope such “needle-free” vaccines are easier to administer, making vaccination more accessible in countries with fragile health systems. You can also persuade people who don’t like to get vaccinated.
China hopes more people will get a booster shot before easing tough pandemic restrictions that have curbed the economy and are increasingly out of sync with the rest of the world. At that time, 90% of Chinese were fully vaccinated and 57% had boosters.
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Videos posted online by Chinese state media showed people sticking the short nozzles of translucent white cups into their mouths at a community health center. According to the accompanying text, after slowly inhaling and holding your breath for 5 seconds, the entire procedure he completes in 20 seconds.
“It was like drinking milk tea,” one Shanghai resident said in a video. “When I took a breath, it tasted a little sweet.”
The efficacy of non-needle vaccines has not been fully investigated. Chinese regulators approved an inhaled vaccine in September, which studies show causes an immune system response in people who have previously received her two doses of another Chinese vaccine. It was later approved only as a booster injection.
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A vaccine ingested as a mist can fend off the virus before it reaches the rest of the respiratory system, but that depends in part on the size of the droplets, one expert said. .
According to Indian immunologist Dr. Vinita Bal, large droplets train defenses in parts of the mouth and throat, while smaller droplets travel deeper into the body.
The inhaled vaccine was developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Cansino Biologics as an aerosol version of its one-shot adenovirus vaccine, which uses a relatively harmless cold virus.
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The conventional one-shot vaccine is approved for use in over 10 markets including China, Hungary, Pakistan, Malaysia, Argentina and Mexico. The inhaled version has received the go-ahead for clinical trials in Malaysia, Malaysian media reported last month.
Indian regulators have approved another needle-free approach, an intranasal vaccine, but it is yet to be deployed. The vaccine is sprayed through the nose.
According to the World Health Organization, about 12 nasal vaccines are being tested worldwide.
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China has relied on domestically developed vaccines. Two main inactivated vaccines have proven effective in preventing death and serious illness, but none are as effective at stopping the spread of disease as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Chinese authorities also do not require vaccinations. A negative COVID-19 test, not proof of vaccination, is required to enter office buildings and other public places. And the country’s strict “zero COVID” approach means that compared to other places, only a small portion of the population has been infected and built up immunity.
As a result, it is unclear how far COVID-19 will spread if restrictions are lifted. The ruling Communist Party has so far shown no signs of easing its “zero coronavirus” policy, moving swiftly to limit travel and impose lockdowns even if even a few cases are found. I’m here.
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Authorities on Wednesday ordered a lockdown of 900,000 people for at least five days in Wuhan, the city where the virus was first detected in late 2019. In the remote Qinghai province, the urban area of Xining has been on lockdown since last Friday.
In Beijing, Universal Studios said it would close its hotels and attractions “to comply with pandemic prevention and control.” In the last 24 hours, he reported 19 new cases in the city, which has a population of over 21 million.