Israeli oral COVID-19 booster shot may be ready by 2022

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Israeli scientists are developing an oral COVID-19 vaccine that may be ready as a booster shot for humans within nine months, the Times of Israel reports. The vaccine has so far worked well on rats, whose antibody levels increased with no side effects.

Work on producing the oral vaccine began at the state-funded Migal Galilee Research Institute in northern Israel, and is now centered in the affiliated company MigVax, the Times of Israel said.

“Everyone talks about us needing boosters for vaccines, and after a successful preclinical trial, we hope to be providing many of them with our oral booster,” David Zigdon, CEO of MigVax, told The Times of Israel.

The scientists vaccinated over 70 rats with conventional COVID-19 vaccines and later gave them the oral MigVax booster, the Times of Israel said. According to Zigdon, the animals responded well: “Their antibody levels increased significantly, and there were no side effects,” he said. The technology used in this booster may be easily adapted to protect against new variants of the coronavirus, Zigdon added.

Human trials are now planned, the Time of Israel said. The booster could be ready by 2022, when demand for booster shots is likely to be high.

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