The first COVID-19 intranasal vaccine, iNCOVACC, was introduced today by Ministers of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh and Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. The vaccine, created by Indian company Bharat Biotech, will cost the government 325 per dosage while private hospitals will have to pay 800. The primary 2-dose schedule and the heterologous booster dose were approved for the company in December 2022. Prior to that, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had authorized the intranasal vaccine's limited usage in emergency cases for people 18 years of age and older. The vaccination must be administered in two doses separated by 28 days. The head of the nation's vaccine task force told NDTV last month, a week after the nasal vaccine was offered on the CoWin platform, that people who have already received a precautionary or booster dosage cannot receive the nasal vaccine. According to vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech, scheduling an appointment for the intranasal vaccine dose can be done online at CoWin.

Key Points

• The first COVID-19 intranasal vaccine, iNCOVACC, was introduced today by Ministers of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh and Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. 

• The head of the nation's vaccine task force told NDTV last month, a week after the nasal vaccine was offered on the CoWin platform, that people who have already received a precautionary or booster dosage cannot receive the nasal vaccine. According to vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech, scheduling an appointment for the intranasal vaccine dose can be done online at CoWin.