Answering your questions about the new Novavax vaccine for COVID-19
A dose of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine is seen ready for use in the trial at St. George's University hospital in London Oct. 7, 2020.
Credit: AP/Alastair Grant
A new COVID-19 vaccine from biotechnology firm Novavax is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with a panel of advisors on Tuesday recommending it be approved. It could become the fourth COVI D-19 vaccine to receive emergency use authorization from the agency.
Here are answers to some questions about the vaccine:
What is the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine and how does it differ from other COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S.?
Novavax is asking the FDA for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years of age and older. It would be administered in two doses, given 21 days apart. The company submitted data from clinical trials showing the vaccine was about 90% effective in preventing mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 disease.
The firm says the vaccine is protein-based and “engineered from the genetic sequence of the first strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.
This is different from the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines which are mRNA vaccines.
How is a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine different from an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine?
When a protein-based vaccine is used, it stimulates an immune response by directly inserting a protein from the virus or other microbe it targets, said Dr. Betty Diamond, director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset.
Vaccines that use messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, stimulate the immune response by giving “instructions the body uses to build a harmless piece of protein from the virus that causes COVID-19,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What about the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine?
The Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is a “viral vector” vaccine. These vaccines use a modified version of a different virus, which produces a SARS-CoV-2 viral protein, Diamond said. That viral protein is processed by cells, triggering the immune system to produce antibodies.
The CDC has said the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are “preferred” over J&J due to the “risk of serious adverse events,” including a possible link to blood clots.
Would a COVID-19 protein-based vaccine be more effective than the mRNA vaccines, which wane in effectiveness over time?
“There’s a hope,” said Diamond. “The mRNA vaccines have literally been a lifesaver, but they might not give as long-lived immunity as potentially either a protein vaccine or one of these viral vaccines. You may need more frequent boosters if you stick with the mRNA vaccines.”
Diamond emphasized that development of vaccines that will provide protection against SARS CoV-2 and its every emerging variants is in the very early stages.
“So we're collecting data on which vaccine seem to be the most efficacious against different viral strains because the virus keeps mutating,” she said. “And when the virus mutates, the antibodies you made against virus one may not work as well against virus two.”
Are there any vaccines developed to specifically target the omicron variant or sub variants?
All of the vaccines currently availablein the U.S. were developed and clinically tested before the omicron variant became dominant in the U.S. But several pharmaceutical firms are developing COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots specially targeted to the omicron variant.
Is it safe to get vaccinated now or should I wait until more testing is done and more vaccines are available?
“Yes,” Diamond answered emphatically to the question of whether to get vaccinated immediately. “Even though we are told the vaccines aren’t as effective against omicron as they were against delta and the original virus, we know that people who are ending up hospitalized and dying are primarily unvaccinated people. Vaccinated people may still get sick, but they are not getting severely sick and they’re much less likely to die and that’s a pretty good vaccine.”
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
