China has begun human trials of a nasal spray Covid-19 candidate vaccine that could serve as an alternative to injections.

The vaccine has become the first of its kind in the world to proceed to the clinical trial phase, according to the WHO’s list of candidate vaccines released last Wednesday.

Scientists hope that the vaccine puffed into the nose could be effective in preventing the coronavirus, which spreads through the respiratory tract.

It could be delivered along with an injected vaccine as part of to mount a multipronged approach.

Another advantage of the nasal spray vaccine is that it can be easily self-administered.

The vaccine has been co-developed by HKU, Fujian province’s Xiamen University as well as vaccine-maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. Ltd.

Contact editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com)

Read full story: Chinese Covid-19 Vaccine Candidate Becomes First Nasal Spray to Start Clinical Trial