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Will there be a needle-free COVID vaccine? | DW | 21.01.2022

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When we think of COVID vaccines, most of us imagine a pointed needle – and some of us may even faint. But what if getting vaccinated was as simple as inhaling a nasal spray?

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 16 billion injections are given annually worldwide. This number is set to rise this year – an additional 5.6 billion may be needed for the global vaccination campaign against COVID.

Scientists are currently working on alternatives to meet the high demand, including a nasal vaccine.

When a vaccine is given through the nose, the host induces a mucosal immune response at the site of infection.

building on current technology

In Mexico, scientists are working on a nasal vaccine called Patria — which means “homeland” in Spanish — and expect clinical trials to begin soon.

Peter Palis, chair of the Department of Microbiology at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in the United States, along with his research team developed the key ingredient used in the nasal vaccine.

Speaking on DW’s COVID-19 Special TV programme, Palis said one of the key benefits of the nasal vaccine is that it can be stored in a normal refrigerator at 2-4 degrees Celsius, instead of the ultra-low temperature required by Pfizer. has capacity. Modern Vaccines.

Since the vaccine is grown in chicken eggs – the same technology is used multiple flu vaccines The cost of development is also affordable – all over the world.

“It’s a lot cheaper to produce this vaccine than mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna,” Palis told DW.

Phase one and two trials are currently being facilitated in parallel due to the urgency of the pandemic. People from five countries are involved in the trials and preliminary data is expected by July.

“It works beautifully in animals, we have great, compelling studies in hamsters and rats, but obviously rats and hamsters are not humans,” Palis said.

a more efficient vaccine

Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are also working on a nasal COVID vaccine.

A research team led by viral immunologist Michael Diamond and oncologist David Curiel found that mice had received a single dose of the vaccine via the nose. were completely safe From SARS-CoV-2. But the mice that had received the same vaccine via injection were only partially protected.

To make the vaccine, researchers inserted the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein inside an adenovirus that causes the common cold. But they changed the adenovirus so that it was unable to cause disease. This allows the body to develop an immune defense to the spike protein.

“It is also important that a single dose produced such a strong immune response,” Kurial said. in a press release, “Vaccines that require two doses for complete protection are less effective because some people, for various reasons, never get a second dose,” he said.

The scientists said that since the vaccine does not contain any live virus, it would also be a good option for people whose immune systems are affected by diseases such as cancer, HIV and diabetes.

no new ideas

The idea may sound novel, but needle-free vaccines have been around for decades.

One of the first to have a major impact was the oral polio vaccine, which is still used in low-income countries. The vaccine contains a weakened version of the poliovirus and works by infecting the gastrointestinal tract and stimulating an immune response in the host.

There are also oral vaccines for typhoid fever, cholera and rotavirus, as well as nasal vaccines for influenza. They also contain weakened forms of the pathogen that causes the disease.

  • Two people with face masks and backpacks climb a steep slope, snow falls in the background

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the world’s most remote places

    a hard climb

    Medical workers who wish to vaccinate residents of mountainous regions of southeastern Turkey must be physically fit. Dr. Jeanep Eralp told DW that ensuring vaccination is particularly important in mountain villages. “People often live together, and an infection can spread quickly,” she said. Plus, people don’t like going to hospitals, so “we have to go to them.”

  • Medical personnel wearing face masks walk behind a small altar in the snow

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the world’s most remote places

    through snow and ice

    Many elderly people cannot travel to the vaccination centre. In the Marra Valley in the western Italian Alps, close to the border with France, doctors go door to door giving residents over the age of 80 their COVID-19 shots. The roadside Madonna’s blessing is a bonus.

  • Woman wearing face mask looks out of plane window

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the world’s most remote places

    far north flight

    Carrying a vial containing multiple doses of the vaccine, the nurse is en route to Eagle, a town on the Yukon River in the US state of Alaska with fewer than 100 residents. Indigenous people are given priority in many vaccination programs. Depending on where they live, the nearest health clinic may be far away.

  • A small white building in the mountains, with a man washing his hands as two people sitting on chairs and watching

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the most remote places of the world

    something needs to be explained

    Anselmo Tunubala washes her hands before administering a vaccine to an elderly woman. Every day, the 49-year-old is out in the mountains of southwestern Colombia and speaks in the local language to people about the importance of vaccination. He is a member of the Misak, many of whom are skeptical of vaccination because they rely on traditional medicine and the guidance of religious leaders.

  • Men and women wearing face masks sit on white plastic chairs, holding cotton swabs on their left upper arm

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the most remote places of the world

    running hours

    The men and women in the photo above walked four hours to get their coronavirus shots in the remote village of Nueva Colonia in central Mexico. They are related to the indigenous Vicarica people, probably known as the Huichols.

  • One person shoots another person, both in boats

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the world’s most remote places

    Stable

    For her shot, Olga Pimentel simply dragged her boat next to the vaccination team. The community of Nossa Senhora do Liveramento on the Rio Negro in Brazil is accessible only by river. “Beautiful! It hardly hurt,” laughed the 72-year-old and shouted, “Viva o sus!” — “May Brazil’s public health service live on!”

  • little blue house, two people in the door

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the most remote places of the world

    Candlelight Vaccination

    For a long time, right-wing populist President Jair Bolsonaro campaigned against COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil. But in the meantime the campaign has gained momentum. The indigenous people and the Quilombola, descendants of African slaves, were among the first to be vaccinated. Raymunda Nonata, 70, lives in a community without power, so he shot by candlelight.

  • A dugout and a small boat on a lake

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the most remote places of the world

    paddle over the lake

    After their vaccinations, an elderly woman and her daughter moved away from the island of Bawama, the eldest in Lake Bunyoni in Uganda. In the Central African country, the government is trying to supply the vaccine to remote areas.

  • White vehicles with Red Cross pass through flooded area, dry road ahead

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the most remote places of the world

    rough terrain

    Another trip on the water – but its time, not the boat. On their way to Zari village in Zimbabwe, this vaccination team had to navigate a flooded road. According to Africa CDC, the African Union’s health agency, less than 1% of the population in Zimbabwe has been fully vaccinated so far. First came the medical staff.

  • three people kneel in a room

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the world’s most remote places

    welcome house call

    Japan may have large cities, but many people also live in small, isolated villages with only a few hundred people – such as here, in Kitaiki. Residents who cannot move to the next city are happy to welcome home doctors and vaccines.

  • Several men walk down a gangway for a boat

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the most remote places of the world

    valuables

    Indonesia started its vaccination campaign in January. From Banda Aceh, the medical team traveled by boat to remote islands. The vaccines in the cooler are so valuable that the team was accompanied by security personnel.

  • Women in sarees crowd around a table

    COVID: Vaccination of people in the most remote places of the world

    Superspreader event?

    India has been the worst hit by this pandemic in recent weeks. In mid-March, medical personnel made their way to Bahkajri village on the Brahmaputra river, where a group of women registered for their COVID-19 shot. No one wore a face mask or kept a safe distance.

    Author Uta Steinwehr


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7 thoughts on “Will there be a needle-free COVID vaccine? | DW | 21.01.2022”

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