Researchers develop special chewing gum to reduce COVID-19 transmission

A team of scientsts has developed a chewing gum that is laced with a plant-grown protein serving as a "trap" for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and could reduce its transmission. The study has been published in the 'Molecular Therapy Journal'. The work, led by Henry Daniell at Penn's School of Dental Medicine and performed in collaboration with scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine, as well as at The Wistar Institute and Fraunhofer USA, could lead to a low-cost tool in the arsenal against the COVID-19 pandemic. "SARS-CoV-2 replicates in the salivary glands, and we know that when someone who is infected sneezes, coughs or speaks some of that virus can be expelled and reach others," said Daniell."This gum offers an opportunity to neutralize the virus in the saliva, giving us a simple way to possibly cut down on a source of disease transmission," he added.

Vaccinations for COVID-19 have helped change the course of the pandemic but haven't stamped out transmission. Even people who are fully vaccinated can still become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and, according to recent research, can carry a viral load similar to those who are unvaccinated. Meanwhile, several new cases of new COVID-19 variant has emerged in India and across the globe. Several states have stepped up vaccination, surveillance and containment measures as India detected 21 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus. Currently, India’s tally stands at 21. The first two cases were reported in Karnataka, followed by one in Jamnagar (Gujarat) and another in Maharashtra. Later on Sunday, seven cases were reported in Maharashtra’s Pune district, of which six belonged to the same family. In Jaipur, nine cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed — all of whom had attended the same wedding. In Delhi, a man in his 30s was found to be infected with the new variant and admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital.