The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday approved Bharat Biotech's nasal vaccine, a needleless COVID vaccine. It can be provided as a booster dose for those above 18 years of age, official sources said on Thursday.
The vaccine will be used as a "heterologous booster" and will be first be made available in private hospitals, official sources say. The vaccine, called iNCOVACC, got emergency use authorisation on November 25, 2022. It is India's first nasal vaccine developed against COVID-19.
Bharat Biotech had claimed that the "intranasal vaccine stimulates a broad immune response." It is likely to block both infection and transmission of COVID-19. It is non-invasive and needle-free which makes it easy to administer as it does not require trained healthcare workers.
The approval for the vaccine comes amid a surge of COVID cases in China. India, on Friday, reported 163 new cases and three new deaths. It accounts for 0.03 percent of global COVID cases.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Thursday cautioned people against complacency and urged them to wear masks in crowded places, while also directing officials to strengthen surveillance measures, especially at international airports.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday briefed the Parliament on the COVID surge and advised states and individuals to be vigilants. Several Members of the Parliament, including PM Modi, were seen wearing a mask on Thursday.
"We haven't done any politics on COVID," Mandaviya told the Rajya Sabha yesterday.
Mandaviya will meet representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other stakeholders on Monday, December 26, 2022. The IMA is currently looking at a study investigating the link between COVID vaccinations and death due to cardiac arrests.
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