The intranasal vaccine iNCOVACC from Bharat Biotech, which was approved for the Covid-19 immunisation programme in India last week, will cost Rs 800 per dosage in private hospitals in addition to the GST, sources said.

“The government of India has approved the nasal vaccine. It will be used as a heterologous booster and will be available first in private hospitals. It will be included in the Covid vaccination program,” official sources had said.

The nasal vaccine, BBV154, had been given the go-ahead by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in November for limited usage as a heterologous booster dosage for people above the age of 18 in an emergency case.

The intranasal vaccine is yet another illustration of India's strength in research and development in the field of vaccine development. Second, it is simple to administer and increases the respiratory tract's immunological barriers, which prevent respiratory infections from entering the body.

“The intranasal vaccine is now approved and recommended as one of the options for precaution dose,” chairman of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) Dr NK Arora told PTI.