First on CNN: HHS awards more than $500 million to study Covid-19 vaccine nasal sprays and more
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/health/hhs-project-nextgen-covid/index.html


In the future, some Covid-19 vaccines may not be jabs in the arm. They could be a nasal spray or even a patch on the skin. Those are just two examples of the kind of next-generation vaccine technology that federal health officials are hoping to help advance.

The US Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that it has selected three initial next-generation vaccine candidates to receive funding awards to help kick-start planning for Phase 2b clinical trials, slated to begin as early as this winter. Two of those studies involve intranasal vaccine candidates, and one involves a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine candidate.


Note: I haven't heard much about the already in-use nasal vaccines in China - I wonder if they work well? And India just started using iNCOVACC nasal vaccine a few months ago too. I'm skeptical, but hopeful.

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Why does COVID-19 usually hit adults so much harder than kids? The nose knows.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/14/covid-kids-immune-system-study/71168768007/

The study from researchers at Stanford University and Cincinnati Children's, found the immune systems of young children typically wipe out the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it arrives in the nose.

In adults, by contrast, the virus that causes COVID-19 generally reaches the bloodstream before the immune system begins to fight back. This allows the virus to cause more havoc in adults.

The findings suggest there may be a way to provide protection for adults by mimicking what is naturally found in small children.