Russian research center develops Covid-flu vaccine

MOSCOW. Sept 13 (Interfax) - The Russian Health Ministry's Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza has developed a nasal vaccine that will simultaneously offer protection from both flu and coronavirus, the institute's director Dmitry Lioznov said, adding that the new vaccine is currently undergoing clinical trials.

"Our institute has begun clinical trials of a Covid-19 vaccine based on the flu virus. In other words, this is the vaccine that will protect and already protects from Covid-19, but an extra feature is that this vaccine also protects from flu," Lioznov said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The ongoing trials are meant to substantiate and to prove this vaccine's efficacy in fighting Covid-19, but the next trials will be conducted to prove its efficacy against flu, he said.

"It is an intranasal vaccine, and we hope that it will become available to all people next year," he said.