(NEW YORK) — The future of COVID-19 vaccines might not be shots in the arm or leg. Instead, picture a nasal spray or a patch stuck onto the skin for a few minutes.

A group of scientists, doctors and administration health officials gathered at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the next generation of inoculation against COVID and its viral cousins; they were in agreement that there is room for improvement.

The future could include vaccines that protect equally against all variants — or even vaccines that stop infections from happening in the first place.

“Innovative approaches are clearly needed to induce broad and durable protection against coronaviruses known and unknown,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, told the audience.

There’s broad consensus that despite the benefit of the currently available vaccines, the “job is not done,” Fauci said.

“We’ve already averted well over 2 million deaths, approximately $1 trillion in health care costs and tens and tens of millions of infections, as well as close to 20 million hospitalizations. That’s the good news,” Fauci said. “What’s the sobering news? Sobering news is why we’re here today — because our job is not done.”

There are a few options on the table.

One is a pan-coronavirus vaccine, which could cover a broad array of future COVID variants and perhaps other coronaviruses, giving people protection for longer periods of time.

Another is a vaccine that people would spray into their noses, called a mucosal vaccine, or even a small patch that would be applied to the skin and carry the vaccine in microneedles.

All are promising innovations, with the potential to be combined with one another — but all are in very early stages of development.

The “holy grail,” Fauci said, is “not only to protect against disease, but to protect against acquisition, and by acquisition, transmission.”

Sprays and patches

Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, an expert on nasal vaccines from Yale University who spoke at the summit, said the only way to fully achieve that goal — Fauci’s “holy grail” — would be nasal vaccines.

She compared them to “stopping the virus from spreading right at the border,” because the virus enters through the nose.

“This is akin to putting a guard outside of the house in order to patrol for invaders, compared to putting the guards in the hallway of a building in the hope they would capture the invader,” Iwasaki said, contrasting the nasal vaccines to the current shots, which are injected and produce an antibody response throughout the body.

Mark Prausnitz, the chief scientific officer of Micron Biomedical, which is developing a vaccine administered through a skin patch, also pitched it as a better option to the current generation of vaccines.

“Leave it in place for a few minutes, peel it off and discard it. We think this can not only make vaccines more readily accessible, but improve immunogenicity,” Prausnitz said.

He said the microneedles in the patch are as long as a piece of paper is thick, and people barely feel them. The patches could be administered by people at home, he said, and wouldn’t require inaccessible cold storage.

A summit for ideas, but also a pitch to Congress

For both the new types of vaccines on the horizon, there are still huge scientific hurdles to developing such new innovations. And without significant resources, that could take upwards of three to five years, experts estimate.

So while Tuesday’s summit was a display of potential new advancements and an acknowledgement of where the current vaccines are falling behind, it was also in a pitch to lawmakers for substantial focus and investment.

“It’s very important to note that we need to move quickly to start testing these nasal vaccines in humans, and that requires a significant U.S. government input, both resources and help with manufacturing and delivery as well as acceptance across society,” Iwasaki told the audience.

Marty Moore, founder and chief scientific officer of another nasal vaccine company, Meissa Vaccines, said the benefits would significantly outweigh the risks.

“I think developing transmission-blocking vaccines, of course, will come with great challenges and some cost,” he said. “But I think the probability of success warrants this investment based on what we know about vaccines. And the potential benefits are just enormous, direct and indirect.”

White House COVID coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha has said he’s hopeful the timeline for these new vaccines could be drastically reduced — if investments are made.

But the Biden administration has faced reluctance from congressional Republicans to approve even more funding, with conservatives citing questions and objections over how past monies were spent.

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(NEW YORK) — A tampon shortage in the U.S. this summer has put a spotlight on menstrual product alternatives.

Over the past several weeks, major retail chains across the country have reported a shortage of tampon products. Across social media, users have posted about their struggles finding products on store shelves.

The shortage reportedly stems from a combination of factors, including staffing problems at factories, transportation delays and the rising cost of materials like plastics that are used to make the products.

Amid the ongoing shortage, the average price for tampons and other menstrual products has also risen.

The price of tampons rose by nearly 10% and the price of menstrual pads by more than 8% through May, according to a June Bloomberg report, which cited data from measurement and analytics company NielsenIQ.

The good news for people who menstruate and prefer to use tampons is that there are still alternatives to be found.

Dr. Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified OB-GYN, spoke with ABC News’ Good Morning America about the pros and cons of those common tampon alternatives.

Alternative #1: Menstrual pads

Pads are the most well-known alternative to tampons and the most easily accessible, according to Shepherd.

“Pads really are the forefront of menstrual hygiene products,” she said. “They were the first that were developed.”

Menstrual pads include both one-time-use disposable pads as well as cloth pads, which Shepherd described as a more eco-friendly alternative.

“As far as waste is concerned, reusable cloth pads are a great alternative,” she said. “You’re going to able to wash them and they give you about four to eight hours of protection.”

Shepherd noted that reusable cloth pads can range in price from $10 to $40, but because they are washable and reusable, they can last longer than other options.

Both reusable and disposable pads, while uncomfortable to wear for some people, are also available for the different levels of bleeding a person may experience throughout their menstrual cycle.

“Pads really kind of create an atmosphere and an environment for people to have easy access to something that really has [been] designed to cater to the duration and flow of every individual,” said Shepherd.

Alternative #2: Menstrual cups and discs

Menstrual cups and menstrual discs are both objects that are inserted into the vagina to absorb period blood, according to Shepherd.

Menstrual cups, which are cup-shaped and reusable, are folded and inserted into the vagina, where they sit below the cervix. The cups have a suction seal to prevent leakage, according to Shepherd.

Menstrual discs are disc-shaped and are also folded and inserted in the vagina, sitting below the cervix. They do not suction though, according to Shepherd.

“It just sits in the vaginal canal rather than having a suction portion, allowing it to be to the actual cervix,” she said.

Both options are inserted at home, not at a doctor’s office, and offer up to 12 hours of protection, according to Shepherd.

While menstrual cups and discs are more expensive than disposable tampons, for example, they are longer lasting, Shepherd noted.

“There is cost involved but you have to remember that cost, when you look over the long range of time, usually ends up being a little bit cheaper or less expensive than using things that are disposable such as your tampons and your pads,” she said.

Alternative #3: Period panties

The most recent addition to the menstrual hygiene product options is period panties, which are underwear that have built-in absorption to prevent leakage.

Shepherd said she recommends period panties for people who have lighter periods, or for someone who is at the beginning of their menstrual cycle, when bleeding is lighter.

She said she also recommends them for adolescents who typically have lighter periods in general, for athletes who need the ability to move and for people who do not like the feel of other options like pads or tampons.

“Those are great for your light days or if you want to kind of double up,” she said, adding, “For someone who does have a heavier cycle, wearing a period panty or period underwear usually needs to be done in conjunction with something else, which is a pad or menstrual disc.”

Period panties can be worn for up to 12 hours and are reusable, according to Shepherd.

While period panties can be more expensive, costing as much as $50 for some brands, Shepherd noted the price may be worth it in order to have something accessible.

“They may be pricey, you may have to buy more than one, however, the great feature of period panties is that you always have it available,” she said. “So even if you have a product that you run out of or is not the correct product that you need, you always have something that’s able to be absorbent to some capacity.”

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