Study indicates vaccines targeting nose, mouth may be key to controlling spread of COVID-19

Medical Xpress July 31, 2024
Washington University School of Medicine

The lightning-fast development of COVID-19 vaccines just months after the virus appeared was a triumph of modern science and saved millions of lives. But for all the good they did in reducing illnesses and deaths, the shots were unable to end the pandemic because of one notable weakness: They couldn’t stop the spread of the virus.

A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that next-generation vaccines that target the virus’s points of entry—the nose and mouth—may be able to do what traditional shots cannot: contain the spread of respiratory infections and prevent transmission.