The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended the use of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for use as a primary series in adults aged 18 years and older.
The Food and Drug Administration, which authorized the vaccine last week, has cleared shipments of the vaccine for release, and doses will be distributed by the U.S. government in the coming days, according to Reuters.
The protein-based shot employs technology that has been used for 30 years, beginning with the Hepatitis B vaccine, and that currently is used in influenza and whooping cough vaccines, said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. Health officials hope this will ease the minds of people who are hesitant about receiving the other vaccines currently in use in the United States, which use a newer technology.
Most adult Americans have had a primary series of COVID-19 vaccines, but up to 37 million haven’t had a single dose. Novavax intends to target those potential recipients, National Public Radio has reported.
With COVID-19 cases again on the rise in parts of the country, vaccination is crucial to staying protected from severe disease, Walensky said in a statement. Currently, the highly transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants now account for more than 90% of current U.S. cases.
“Today, we have expanded the options available to adults in the U.S. 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,” she said.
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