Covid-19: Carrageenan-based nasal spray can block the virus for upto 2 days

At a time when coronavirus vaccine is being administered at various corners of the world, UK scientists have developed a new nasal spray that can prevent coronavirus infection for up to two days.

According to the sources, the scientists are planning to have these nasal sprays available over-the-counter in pharmacies in a few months.

Speaking to media, Dr Richard Moakes, the study’s lead researcher, said that he is confident in the spray’s formula to help unlock society from social distancing restrictions and “get schools going again”.

In November last year, the researchers working on the spray since April 2020 announced that laboratory experiments showed the spray prevented a coronavirus infection from spreading for up to 48 hours.

The team believes using the spray four times a day would be enough for general protection, although it is safe enough to be applied every 20 minutes if in a high-risk, densely populated environment such as schools.

The nasal spray, which has not yet been named, is made from ingredients that are already approved for medical use, meaning it is safe for use by humans and does not require further approval.

According to the experts, the nasal spray which will soon be available in the stores for the commoners in the UK is a combination of an antiviral agent which is known as carrageenan.

Carrageenan is mainly used in foods as a thickening agent. The nasal spray also consists of a solution which is called gellan. What is gellan? It is a gelling agent that is selected for its ability to stick to cells inside the nose.

Why is gellan so important? “Gellan is an important component because it has the ability to be sprayed into fine droplets inside the nasal cavity, where it can cover the surface evenly and stay at the delivery site rather than sliding downwards and out of the nose,” experts quoted as saying.

How Does A Nasal Spray Work?
The formula helps prevent infection by capturing the virus in the nose and encapsulating it in a coating that it cannot escape from. As a result, it would be safe for a person to breathe out – even if inhaled by another person – because the virus would be inactive and harmless.

“As an over the shelf product, we have spoken to companies with a presence on the high street as we think they could distribute it effectively,” Moakes was quoted as saying.

“Based on the product, it will be much quicker to get to the user than a novel drug. I am confident that the formulation can make an impact. Our goal is to make an impact as soon as possible, we would really like to see this happen by summer,” he said.

How Are Nasal Vaccines Different From The Others?
In comparison to intramuscular vaccines, the nasal vaccine has a different way of usage. They can keep you safe not for a very long period of time but for 2days you will be safe. Such intranasal vaccine will not only be simple to administer but reduce the use of medical consumables such as needles, syringes, etc significantly impacting the overall cost of a vaccination drive.