Just a drop in your nose and you are secure says Mansukh Mandaviya on nasal vaccine

New Delhi, Dec 23: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said that India is future ready while adding that the use of the nasal vaccine against COVID-19 has been approved.

He also said that since it is a nasal vaccine, there is no need to be jabbed. Just a drop in your nose and you are secure, he added.

He also said that since it is a nasal vaccine, there is no need to be jabbed. Just a drop in your nose and you are secure, he added. Mandaviya on Thursday informed the Parliament that the use of Bharat Biotech's nasal vaccine against COVID-19 has been recommended as a booster for adults by India's expert panel.

While Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed the parliament about the same, reports said that the rollout could happen next week.

The vaccine which is called iNCOVACC was approved by the country's drugs regulator and is seen as an additional tool in the fight against COVID-19. The experts feel that it would give the much needed immunity in the nose, the site where COVID-19 first takes hold. It would also help overcome hesitancy around the booster doses.

The report while citing a member of the national technical advisory council on immunisation said that the data was robust for them to make the recommendation. He however said that no data has been disclosed publicly, unlike the practice with the other vaccines.

According to the data analysed by Hindustan Times, nearly 719 million the 940 million adults are yet to take the booster shot. Around 75 million have not even taken the second dose, the report added.

In case there is a sudden rush for these pending doses there are adequate number of doses to be distributed among the states, the report said while quoting a health ministry official.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting and urged officials to take steps to encourage people to take their third doses, especially if they are vulnerable due to other illness or are of old age.