Story By: Sergiu NazaruSub Editor:  Joseph GolderAgency: Newsflash

Russian scientists are developing a COVID-19 vaccine that can be introduced into the body in the form of a yoghurt.

The announcement was made by the vice president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Chekhonin, 61.

During an academy meeting, Chekhonin announced that the “mucosal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2,” is being developed at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in the western Russian city of Saint Petersburg.

According to reports, the mucosal vaccine is administered by mouth in the form of an aerosol or drops while antigens are enclosed in microcapsules which protect them from digestive enzymes.

Chekhonin said: “The target for cloning is a gene encoding the S-protein of the coronavirus. As a result, the gene is introduced to the area that codes probiotic bacteria pili, creating a bacterium with an immunogenic viral protein on its surface.

“Such a vaccine can be administered in the form of a product such as yogurt.”

Chekhonin said that preclinical trials of this vaccine are currently underway.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova recently announced that Russia is developing 47 vaccines for the virus across 14 platforms.

According to the latest figures from the John Hopkins University, Russia has registered 431,715 cases of COVID-19 and 5,208 related deaths.

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