A needle poking into skin can chill up to 25% of adults in Britain and cause fainting in 4%. Researchers are developing a variety of non-injectable Covid vaccine formulations. These include nasal sprays and tablets.Nearly every vaccine available today comes with a needle. The approved Covid-19 vaccines is no exception. To allay fears of needle-phobias, scientists from the UK and around the world are trying to harness the immune system of the mucous membranes in the nose, mouth, and digestive tract. These areas are often colonized by respiratory viruses such as Covid-19.Daniel Freeman, a professor of clinical psychological at the University of Oxford and his colleagues conducted a study of more than 15,000 people from the UK. They found that 25% of them had tested positive for injection phobia.This subset was twice as likely than others to say they would delay getting vaccinated, or even never get it. 10% of people who were afraid of needles were strongly Covid-hesitant.He estimated that between 3% and 4% of all adults in the UK were needle-phobic, meaning they are afraid of injections. He also said that needle phobia was more common in younger adults. This suggests that needle phobia could be responsible for more of the hesitancy among younger adults.Fear of needles is one of the most common anxiety types. This is why people try to avoid it.This, and other reasons, have prompted efforts to develop Covid-19 vaccinations in the form inhaled vapours or tablets, oral drops, or intranasal sprays.Dr Stephen Griffin, a virologist from Leeds University, stated that he was frequently asked by UK healthcare workers when non-injectable Covid vaccines would be available. This is not because he doesn't know the answer but because so many people are afraid of needles.Tell us your story. We'd love to hear about your experiences. Fill out the form below anonymously or send us a WhatsApp message by clicking here, or by adding the contact (+44(0)7766780300). Only Guardian journalists can view your contributions. We may contact you to discuss further. Please share your stories here. If you feel it will help your story, you can upload a photo or video here. Maximum file size: 6MB. You can also upload another photo or video. Optional. We accept both images and pdfs. Maximum file size: 6MB. We can publish your response. Yes, absolutely Yes. But please keep me anonymous. Please contact me first. This is information only. Are you contacting us after you have read a Guardian article. If yes, which Guardian article? Email address Please provide your contact information so that we can reach you for further information. Only the Guardian will be able to see them. Phone number optional Your contact information is helpful for us to contact you for further information. These details will be only seen by Guardian. Additional information can be added here.Non-injectable vaccinations can be a game changer for many reasons. For countries without the resources or logistical infrastructure to produce the required ultra-cold Covid vaccines, room-temperature formulas may be an advantage. Importantly, targeting the mucosal tissues could produce sterilising immunity or the complete elimination and prevention of infection, which theoretically can stop transmission. Although they are effective in preventing serious illness or death, current intramuscular vaccines cannot stop transmission.There have been some hiccups in our quest for non-injectable flu vaccines. For example, a nasal spray flu vaccine that has been tested in children has outperformed flu shots, but it is not as effective in adults. Altimmune, a US biotech company, canceled its intranasal Covid vaccine program in June. It claimed that the vaccine generated weaker immune responses than anticipated in an early trial.Many researchers are currently working on a non-injectable Covid vaccination. A formulation that is aerosolized by Oxford/AstraZeneca is currently in development. CanSino Biologics, a Chinese biotech company, recently began the development of an inhaled vaccine. Other researchers are also looking into nasal sprays, including a team from Lancaster University. They will soon report data from animal trials and the US-based Cadogenix as well as India's Bharat Biotech. Oral alternatives are also being considered by drugmakers, including Vaxart from San Francisco, which has already completed a human study.
