Mumbai, September 15

Researchers in the United Kingdom are all set to begin trials for the inhaled version of the coronavirus vaccine that is currently under development. The researchers believe that vaccine shots will work better if they reach the lungs directly, BBC reported.

The trials will be conducted by the Imperial College, London. The researchers will try Oxford’s vaccine that is currently under temporary suspension and the vaccine developed by Imperial College which entered the human testing phase in June this year.

The researchers said that they will take around 30 volunteers for the trials and the vaccine shot will be given in the form of a mist or aerosol.

Lead researcher Dr. Chris Chiu was cited as saying in the BBC report: “The current pandemic is caused by a respiratory virus which primarily infects people through the cells lining the nose, throat, and lungs. These surfaces are specialised and produce a different immune response to the rest of the body.”

He added: “So it is critical we explore whether targeting the airways directly can provide an effective response compared to a vaccine injected into the muscle.”

Prof Robin Shattock, research lead on the Imperial vaccine, said: “A number of groups around the world are currently working on clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccines.”

“And these will tell us whether these candidates can produce a systemic immune response against the virus. It may well be that one group has the right vaccine but the wrong delivery method. And only trials such as this will be able to tell us that,” he added.

Many countries are vying for the coronavirus vaccine. There are as many as 180 vaccine candidates that are being explored and experimented globally. However, no vaccine has successfully completed all the trials yet, say media reports.

Meanwhile, in a recent a poll conducted by the British Medical Association, around 86 per cent of doctors in England stated that they expect the second peak of coronavirus pandemic in the next six months.

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