The Centre on Friday approved Bharat Biotech's needle-free intranasal Covid vaccine for booster dose, said an official source.

The nassal vaccine has been approved for those aged above 18 years. The vaccine will be available in the private hospitals for booster dose in the initial phase.

The source said that the nasal vaccine will be used as a heterologous booster among the eligible population. Meanwhile, the intranasal Covid vaccine is also expected to be introduced in the Covid-19 vaccination program from Friday, said the source.

The nasal vaccine is likely to be added to the CoWIN App from this day only.

Meanwhile, India on Friday reported 163 fresh Covid-19 cases along with nine deaths have also been reported in the country. The number of active coronavirus cases declined to 3,380. (SJ/IANS)