| Friday, Dec. 10, 2021 This colorized scanning electron micrograph shows a cell (green) infected with a variant strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (purple), isolated from a patient sample. COVID-19 Single-Dose Nasal Vaccine Designed for Infants, Children Candidate Vaccine Against HPIV3 and SARS-CoV-2 NIAID scientists have developed a candidate COVID-19 vaccine targeted for infants and young children that would require one dose delivered by a nasal spray. They originally had been working on a vaccine to prevent respiratory disease caused by human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3) in young children. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, they quickly adapted their project to include SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A pediatric clinical trial is being planned for a single vaccine that would protect against both viruses. A new study in PNAS describes how they used a weakened version of a bovine/human parainfluenza virus to deliver SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to stimulate immunity against COVID-19. The vaccine is noteworthy because the nasal delivery creates immunity in the respiratory tract, which is thought to be particularly effective in restricting respiratory virus infection and transmission. Of interest, the scientists say the vaccine platform likely would have reduced effectiveness in older people because by about age 5 almost everyone has been exposed to HPIV3 and has developed immunity.  | 
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