Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday launched India's first intranasal vaccine from Bharat Biotech on the occasion of the 74th Republic Day 2023.
This is the world's first made-in-India nasal vaccine for Covid-19. Its called iNCOVACC and will cost ₹325 per dose at government hospitals and centres but the price will go up to ₹800 at private hospitals.
The dose will be administered through the nose, without needles, and can be booked through the CoWin website or app at a nearby centre.
Bharat Biotech got the government's approval for the nasal vaccine on December 23.
How does it provide enhanced protection?
The absence of syringe can be given to more people in a shorter time span, and it won’t require trained personnel for the process.
The vaccine is also more likely to prevent transmission, since it introduces antibodies in the upper respiratory system through the mucosal membrane.
By doing so, iNCOVACC can nip the problem in the bud, by tackling the virus where it enters the body. Nasal vaccines are also expected to be more effective in preventing lung damage.
Is iNCOVACC the ultimate gamechanger?
But even with enhanced safety from covid as compared to the vaccines we get through jabs, the nasal variant is just another step forward, in a space with a lot of room for improvement.
With multiple mutations of the covid-19 virus triggering successive waves, the evolution of the vaccine will provide an edge to humanity in the battle.
Ease of distribution also means that there won’t be need for a cold chain to transport the vaccine, and even if iNCOVACC isn’t free, it’s affordable compared to Covaxin and Covishield.
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