CDC Recommends Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine for People 18 Years and Older

On July 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended use of the Novavax vaccine for people 18 years and older to prevent COVID-19. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the vaccine received emergency use authorization (EUA) for this age group. Novavax provides another option for people who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Novavax vaccine primary series is two doses, two weeks apart. Unlike the three other vaccines, Novavax uses a protein-based virus-blocking technology that has been widely used in vaccines for other diseases. It is the fourth vaccine to be authorized for use in the U.S. for the prevention of COVID-19 and is already being used in several other countries, including Canada.

In a phase 3 clinical trial involving more than 30,000 people ages 18 and older, the Novavax vaccine was 90% effective against mild, moderate and severe disease. Reported side effects were pain/tenderness, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, joint pain, nausea/vomiting, and fever. It is not yet known how well the vaccine performs against the Omicron variant and the BA.5 subvariant, as the clinical trials occurred before they were in wide circulation.

MercyOne is confident in the safety and efficacy of the FDA-authorized, CDC-recommended Novavax vaccine. We strongly encourage everyone six months and older to be vaccinated with an age-appropriate vaccine, including staying up to date with recommended booster doses.

Aligned with CDC and state guidelines, stay up to date with your vaccinations for optimal protection against the virus, continue to mask, avoid large gatherings, stay six feet apart and wash your hands often. Learn more about the vaccines at MercyOne COVID-19 vaccine website and the CDC website.

Novavax FAQs

How effective is Novavax against COVID?

In clinical trials, Novavax was 90% effective against mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 infection.

How is the Novavax vaccine different from other COVID vaccines? How was it developed?

Novavax uses a more traditional method of generating an immune response than the other COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine includes a protein from the virus itself to strengthen the immune response. This vaccine technology is like that used in flu or Hepatitis B vaccines.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines rely on newer mRNA technology. These vaccines deliver a set of instructions to cells, which then create pieces of COVID-19’s spike protein and generate corresponding antibodies.

What is the Novavax vaccine/how does it work compared to the other three vaccines?


The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is a protein-based vaccine which was created using Novavax's recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein and is formulated with Novavax' patented saponin-based Matrix-M™ adjuvant to enhance the immune response.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, with the hope that people who have opted not to take Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine, which are based on the groundbreaking messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, will instead opt for traditionally produced Novavax's protein-based vaccine.
• The vaccine, already approved in Europe, and several hundreds and thousands of people have received it. It is based on a technology that has been used for decades to combat diseases including hepatitis B and influenza.
• It is impossible to do a study with head to head comparisons with other three vaccines due to different approaches taken to design.
  
  
  

What does it protect against?

• Currently approved Novavax vaccine protects against COVID 19. NVX-CoV2373 is a protein-based vaccine engineered from the genetic sequence of the first strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.
• NVX-CoV2373 contains purified protein antigen and can neither replicate, nor can it cause COVID-19.

What are the side effects?

• The vaccine is safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above.
• In two phase III clinical trials Novavax achieved 90.4% efficacy overall and was generally well-tolerated and elicited a robust antibody response after the second dose in both studies.