Russian nasal Covid-19 vaccine shown to form strong immunity – study

The researchers behind Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine have published the results of animal tests for the nasal version. The report says the alternative form of administration could provide enhanced protection for the lungs.

On Wednesday, the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund announced the publication of an article on the nasal version of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine in the international peer reviewed medical journal Emerging Microbes & Infections. The piece details the tests conducted by Russian researchers on mice and Goeldi’s marmosets to determine its efficacy.

According to the article, not only did the nasal form elicit a powerful and lasting immune response, comparable to that seen in the intramuscularly administered vaccine, but also provided especially strong protection to the nasopharynx and the lungs.

This effect, if replicated in humans, could come in particularly handy in the fight against new Covid-19 strains, which typically enter the body via the nose and affect the lungs, the researchers said. The piece also stated that the nasal form of Sputnik V is as effective in minimizing fatality rates in patients as its conventional, intramuscular version.