Practically 225 million Individuals are thought of absolutely COVID vaccinated by the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, that means they’ve acquired two or extra doses of a vaccine.
The quantity who’ve been absolutely vaccinated with Novavax, the most recent vaccine to obtain approval from U.S. well being officers: a mere 6,278.
The standard protein-based vaccine, accepted by U.S. well being officers in July, was meant to win the hearts and minds of Individuals who had been hesitant to obtain mRNA COVID vaccines Pfizer and Moderna, claiming that the expertise was too new to be thought of secure.
“For these ready for a COVID-19 vaccine constructed on a distinct expertise, now could be the time to get vaccinated,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky stated this summer time.
However for the 20% of Individuals who stay unvaccinated, hesitancy in regards to the security of mRNA vaccine expertise was possible simply an excuse, consultants say, as Novavax was formulated utilizing the identical expertise because the flu vaccine—and uptake continues to be dismal.
Nonetheless hesitant Individuals are about Novavax, for no matter causes, the scenario is sort of the other elsewhere. The vaccine has been accepted in 38 different international locations, together with Australia, France, Eire, Italy, Korea, and the U.Okay., in response to the World Well being Group. And Japan and Australia have accepted the vaccine for utilization as a booster dose, in response to the Journal of American Medical Affiliation.
“It’s been engaging for a very long time,” Dr. John Swartzberg, a professor on the Division of Infectious Illnesses and Vaccinology on the College of California, Berekely’s Faculty of Public Well being, informed Fortune, including that the manufacturing points delayed its U.S. debut.
“What excited some folks about it’s the truth that it’s similar to quite a lot of vaccines produced prior to now,” Swartzberg stated. “Protein vaccines have been used for many years. For some folks, that offers them a level of consolation, primarily based upon emotion and never science.”
Novavax has the potential to supply longer, broader safety than present mRNA vaccines, Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the College of Minnesota’s Heart for Infectious Illness Analysis and Coverage (CIDRAP), informed Fortune.
However extra knowledge on the vaccine is required to find out the size of safety it presents, in addition to its efficiency towards Omicron subvariants.
“I believe it may very well be a greater vaccine,” Osterholm stated, although he cautioned that, within the early days of mRNA COVID vaccines, society had “unbridled expectations that in the end didn’t pan out,” such because the vaccines stopping an infection.
Like mRNA vaccines, Novavax protects towards extreme COVID outcomes like hospitalization and loss of life. But it surely doesn’t forestall an infection or transmission, in response to Yale Drugs.
Maryland-based Novavax started growing its COVID vaccine in 2020, throughout Operation Warp Pace, however manufacturing difficulties slowed progress. Nations started granting the vaccine approval in November.
Within the U.S., the two-dose shot collection is accepted for these 12 and older, with pictures occurring three to eight weeks aside. Uncomfortable side effects are much like mRNA COVID vaccines and embrace tenderness, ache, and/or swelling on the injection website, fatigue, muscle ache, joint ache, headache, nausea, vomiting, and/or fever, in response to Yale Drugs. As is the case with mRNA COVID vaccines, myocarditis—a uncommon type of coronary heart irritation—has been reported, although not often.
Dr. Bali Pulendran, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford College, informed Fortune he isn’t positive why the U.S. hasn’t but accepted Novavax to be used as a booster, giving those that’ve acquired a two-dose mRNA collection an alternative choice, except for newly accepted Omicron mRNA vaccines.
The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration didn’t instantly reply to Fortune’s query as to why the U.S. hasn’t accepted the vaccine to be used as a booster, although different international locations have.
“It’s a terrific vaccine, and I do hope folks get entry to it in the event that they want to,” Pulendran stated.
