Second generation COVID jabs may have advantage over current crop: WHO

Second generation COVID-19
vaccines, in the form of nasal sprays and oral versions, may be the next big
thing in the fight against the coronavirus, according to the World Health
Organization (WHO). WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said Tuesday that
she is looking forward to the second generation of COVID-19 vaccines which may
have an advantage over the current crop.

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The vaccines that will
come as nasal sprays and oral drops can be self-administered. In course of an
interaction through WHO’s social media channels, Swaminathan said that the
second crop of vaccines covers an entire range of technologies and some of them
may prove to be very safe and efficacious.

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The WHO chief
scientist said that there are 129 different vaccines undergoing clinical trials
at the moment while 194 more vaccine candidates are still in early stages of
development.

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Soumya Swaminathan
further said that the second-generation vaccines may have some distinct
advantages. “Clearly, if you have an oral vaccine or an intra-nasal vaccine
this is easier to deliver than an injectable,” she added.

Some of the
vaccine platforms in development may also be of use against other infections in
future, said the WHO chief scientist.

The advantage with
nasal vaccines, according to Swaminathan, is that if there is a local immune
response, “then it will take care of the virus even before it even goes and establishes
itself in the lungs and starts causing a problem.”

The international
health agency has so far granted emergency-use authorisation to seven vaccines for
COVID-19. These vaccines are: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson
& Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac and India’s indigenously developed vaccine
Bharat Biotech.

“None of the
vaccines are 100%. Nobody has ever claimed that the vaccines are going to be
100% protective. But 90% is a wonderful amount of protection to have, compared
to zero,” said Swaminathan.