Promising early results for Covid-19 nasal vaccine approach
Scientists in Germany have developed a nasal vaccine that can prevent Covid-19 infection in the nose and throat, where the virus first enters the body. In hamster studies, the live, weakened vaccine achieved "sterilizing immunity" by blocking the virus from replicating in the upper airways. The vaccine also boosts mucosal immunity, which could help prevent the spread of the infection. While the vaccine still needs to undergo more tests before it can be widely used, the results so far are encouraging. Other nasal vaccines are also in late-stage testing, but progress has been slow due to the high costs of getting a new vaccine to market.