Geneva: The chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO), Soumya Swaminathan said on Tuesday that she is looking for the “second generation” of COVID-19 vaccines, including nsala sprays and oral versions.
According to Swaminathan, such vaccines could be in advantageous position over the current crop as they would be easier to deliver than injections and could even be self-administered.
Swaminathan said that there were as many as 129 different candidate vaccines that have got as far as clinical trials. A further 194 are still being worked on in laboratories.
“This covers the entire range of technologies,” she was quoted as saying in a live interaction on WHO social media channels by news agency AFP.
“They’re still in development. I’m sure some of them will prove to be very safe and efficacious and others may not.
“There could be advantages to some of the second-generation vaccines… clearly if you have an oral vaccine or an intra-nasal vaccine this is easier to deliver than an injectable.
“Ultimately we’ll be able to choose the ones that are most appropriate,” she said.
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