Spray vaccine closer to fight colds, allergies Covid and flu

A UNIVERSAL vaccine for cold, flu, Covid and allergies is a significant step closer, scientists believe.

- BY JANE KIRBY

The “transformational” inoculation could be given as a nasal spray, experts at Stanford Medicine in the US said. They think it could protect against a wide range of respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergy triggers.

Although the study — published in the journal Science — was on mice, researchers said it could offer protection in humans for several months.

Inoculated mice were protected against Covid and other coronaviruses, staph (which can infect the skin and cause sepsis), acinetobacter baumannii (a bacterium that causes infections in the blood, urinary tract, lungs or wounds), and house dust mites.

If translated into humans, such a vaccine could replace multiple annual jabs for winter respiratory infections.

It could also potentially work against new pandemic bugs.