Andrew Wallace is not afraid to admit he is terrified of needles.
Despite his phobia, the Sunshine Coast man persevered with three rounds of the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Through my life I have avoided having vaccines and giving blood … but I felt it was important as part of the community to have those [COVID] vaccines," Mr Wallace said.
"I didn't enjoy the whole process … it didn't hurt, but it's the idea of needles rather than the actual pain involved.
"If there's an option to have a needle-free vaccine, that's absolutely fantastic."
Mr Wallace is taking part in an Australian-first trial of a COVID-19 vaccine patch.
Brisbane-based biomedical company Vaxxas has teamed up with the University of the Sunshine Coast for the clinical study.
Vaxxas chief technology officer Angus Forster said the patch targeted the skin, which was the "natural barrier to infection".
"It's a small plastic patch, covered in a dense array of what we call micro-projections ... [they] just penetrate through the top layer of skin," Dr Forster said.
"There's an abundance of immune cells that we target using our patch technology [to] create effective and durable immune responses."
The patches have already been tested on children, to gauge their reaction.
"The patch remains on the skin … for about two minutes, but we're hoping to get what we call 'wear' time down to around 10 seconds, which will make the application very, very quick and simple," Dr Forster said.
Unlike current COVID-19 vaccines, the patches don't require strict temperature controls and could eventually be used by people at home.
"A way of administering which avoids the needle … can play a really important role in helping to protect Australians and the world," Dr Forster said.
"This technology will have a real place in the arsenal of vaccines."
Covid here to stay
The aim is to have a product ready to hit the market by 2025.
Professor Robert Booy, an infectious diseases paediatrician, said while the delivery date seemed like a long way off, COVID-19 would still be around.
"There's been a lot of complacency, people think COVID's gone away," Professor Booy said.
"It hasn't — there's a new wave.
"I think we can surf it, I don't think it's a tsunami, but it's a wave that we can address practically and effectively.
"There's a lot of people who haven't had their third dose, and at-risk people who should have had their fourth."
Professor Booy said a needle-free vaccine would be welcomed by medical practitioners and patients.
"As a children's doctor for over 30 years … I'd rather see them get a vaccine and never get a disease," he said.
"[But] I'm delighted not to inflict pain on children."
More trial participants needed
The clinical trial coordinators are still looking for more participants, who must be aged between 18 and 50-years-old, and in good general health.
Mr Wallace said he felt "privileged" to be involved in potentially making medical history.
But there is a slight sting in this tale.
"Part of the trial here is having blood tests … so then I had to get over the needle phobia of having the blood tests," Mr Wallace laughed.
"But it fills me with pride to be able to be part of this."
