Nasal vaccines should act more quickly than injected vaccines and could theoretically reduce transmission while also preventing mild illness. With over 100 oral or nasal vaccines in development around the world, China has made the first step in what will hopefully be a common way of treating COVID in the coming years.
With the vaccine lacking any publicly available verified or peer-reviewed data on its efficacy, the approval of CanSino's inhaled vaccine may indicate that China is feeling the pressure of its zero-COVID policy - which disrupts travel and the wider economy - ahead of key political meetings next month.
There's a 50% chance that China will end its zero-COVID policy by December 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.