Effectiveness of Inhaled COVID-19 Vaccines to Be Studied

Trial will test responses of 30 adults when they inhale vaccine droplets in their mouths

MONDAY, Sept. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A study to assess the effectiveness of two experimental COVID-19 vaccines when they are inhaled, rather than injected, has been announced by researchers.

The trial will test the responses of 30 people, ages 18 to 55 years, when they inhale vaccine droplets in their mouths, which would directly target their respiratory systems, explained the scientists at Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, the Associated Press reported.

"We have evidence that delivering influenza vaccines via a nasal spray can protect people against flu as well as help to reduce the transmission of the disease," and this might also be the case with the new coronavirus, research leader Chris Chiu, Ph.D., of Imperial College London, said in a statement.

Clinical trials of the vaccines' effectiveness when injected are already underway. "It is critical we explore whether targeting the airways directly can provide an effective response compared to a vaccine injected into muscle," according to Chiu, the AP reported.

AP News Article

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