An intranasal Covid vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech will be available for the public on the CoWIN website from Friday as India gears up surveillance, and prepares to counter a possible COVID-19 wave. The nasal vaccine, which was approved in the month of September, can be used as a booster dose, as per official sources. The same will be available in private health centres.
So far, about 22.35 crore booster doses have been administered which is 27 percent of the total population eligible to take the booster jab. The first and second doses coverage currently stand at 97 per cent and 90 per cent respectively.
As Covid cases rise in China, Indian states have been asked to commence mock drills across health facilities with major focus on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources. They have also been asked to ramp up testing and genome sequencing. Official sources have also highlighted that while India is taking all precautions to tackle any possible rise in cases, there is no reason to create panic.
The nasal vaccine, like Bharat Biotech’s prvious vaccine Covaxin, is an outcome of public-private partnership. It is a joint venture between Bharat Biotech and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its PSU, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
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As part of Aatmanirbhar 3.0, the mission to support and expedite the development of the COVID-19 vaccine was launched by DBT and carried out by BIRAC under the banner of Mission COVID Suraksha. DBT laboratories and BIRAC offered scientific leadership at key stages of the vaccine development process. According to Bharat Biotech, the vaccine, known by the brand name iNCOVACC, is the first intranasal vaccine ever to be approved by Covid for the primary 2-dose schedule and heterologous booster dosage.
(With inputs from agencies)
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