NBC News: Nasal Covid vaccine shows promise in early clinical trial

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An experimental nasal vaccine developed by Blue Lake Biotechnology showed strong protection against COVID-19 in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The vaccine reduced the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 infections by 86% for three months in people who received it as a booster dose. Existing booster shots in the United States reduce symptomatic infections by 43% in people aged 18 to 49 over one to two months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nasal vaccines could provide better protection against COVID-19 compared to injected vaccines because they bolster immune protection where the virus enters the body. The vaccine uses a type of parainfluenza virus encoded with the coronavirus’s spike protein to train the immune system to recognize and fight it. Bits of the virus replicate inside the nasal cavity for several days to trigger an immune response without getting a person sick. The vaccine was well-tolerated by Phase 1 participants and produced fewer side effects than injected vaccines. The researchers plan to begin the next phase of clinical trials soon, aiming to expand the study to include around 400 participants in the US and Europe. The full article by Denise Chow can be read here on NBC News. For more information on COVID-19 click here. 



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