CDC Recommends Novavax COVID Vaccine

On July 13, 2022, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Novavax COVID vaccine. Following this approval, the CDC added the Novavax COVID vaccine to their recommended vaccines for adults. This addition marks one more tool available to protect Americans.  

As of today, the CDC reports an average of 123,639 new COVID cases in the United States each day. Furthermore, there are an average of 352 COVID-related deaths and 6,094 COVID-related hospital admissions each day. With new variants constantly appearing, American public health associations are looking for ways to arm citizens with preventative health strategies.  

The recent spread of BA.5 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants has contributed to 70% of new COVID cases as stated in an article by Yale Medicine. While the Biden administration and other public health organizations have been working to address the recent rise of infections, an additional vaccine availability may encourage more people to get vaccinated.  

Like the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the Novavax vaccine is a two-dose series, administered three weeks apart.  

According to the FDA press statement, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled studies were conducted to measure the efficacy of the immunization. The vaccine was found to be 90.4% effective in preventing all COVID infections.  

Only 17 cases occurred in the vaccinated group compared to 79 cases in the placebo group. All 17 cases in the vaccinated group were mild. Conversely, 4 severe cases and 9 moderate cases occurred in the placebo group.  

The FDA also found limited adverse side effects with the Novavax vaccine. The press release stated that the most common side effects were injection site pain, redness or swelling, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, fever, and nausea.  

Despite the general side effects being deemed safe, the FDA cautions against the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis with the vaccine. Recipients are advised to discuss their vaccination with their healthcare provider and report any severe reactions.  

Currently, the CDC states that only 34.2% of people over 5 years old have received their first booster dose of any of the approved vaccines. The goal of many health professionals and organizations is to boost vaccination rates to provide complete or partial protection against the virus.  

“Today, we have expanded the options available to adults in the US by recommending another safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. If you have been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine built on a different technology than those previously available, now is the time to join the millions of Americans who have been vaccinated. With COVID-19 cases on the rise again across parts of the country, vaccination is critical to help protect against the complications of severe COVID-19 disease,” said CDC DC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, in the press release.