As Covid resurfaces in parts of the world due to Omicron variants, India is also updating its disease manual.
The Union Health Ministry has approved Bharat Biotech’s intranasal vaccine to be included in the vaccination program as a promotional item for people above 18 years of age, sources said on Thursday. Needle-free vaccinations will be available at private parks. It will be presented on the Co-WIN platform on Friday night, they said.
Nasal vaccine – BBV154
The nasal vaccine – BBV154 – received approval from the drug regulator in India in November for the ban in emergency situations for people over the age of 18 as a heterologous booster drug. According to Bharat Biotech,
- Intranasal vaccines have many advantages because the nasal passage has a better vaccination ability due to the organized immune system of the nasal mucosa.
- It is also non-invasive and needle-free and easy to administer because it does not require trained medical personnel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warned people against complacency and encouraged them to wear masks in public places, while ordering officials to step up surveillance, especially at international airports.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation of COVID-19 in India and the preparedness of the public health system for surveillance, containment, and prevention. management of COVID-19. He urged people to follow proper COVID practices and get vaccinated against the virus.
Stressing that COVID-19 is not over yet, he asked the workers to prepare well and promote research. Mandaviya has already ordered the authorities to properly prepare and strengthen the surveillance system for the genome sequencing of samples from justice to track the species through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genome Consortium (INSACOG) network to ensure the quick detection of new models. , if any, is distributed in the country.
