A new vaccine employing more traditional technology to fight against COVID was unanimously approved Tuesday by a top scientific panel, clearing one of the final hurdles to become the country’s fourth coronavirus shot.
The advisory panel to the Center for Disease Control approved Novavax for an initial two-shot treatment for those 18 and older — following the endorsement of the Food and Drug Administration last week. Tests have shown that the new shot provides similar protection from severe infection to the cutting-edge mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. Trials are ongoing for Novavax to be used as a booster.
As of Tuesday, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda and San Francisco counties could not say when the rollout of the new vaccine would begin, but it is likely to be soon. Earlier this month, the Biden Administration announced it was ordering 3.2 million doses of the shot for distribution around the country.
Novavax, a Maryland company, uses a protein rather than mRNA technology — and health officials hope that it will appeal to those who have been hesitant to get vaccinated because the way that it combats the virus has been used for decades in previous vaccines. Some survey data, however, suggest that only a small group of unvaccinated Americans would opt for the new shot. A poll cited during Tuesday’s CDC panel review — albeit with a relatively small sample size of 1,788 people — shows that 77% of Americans who have not received a shot would refuse Novavax.
Some researchers believe that the protein vaccine’s structure may make it more effective against mutations of COVID. In addition, in clinical trials conducted by the vaccine company, those who received Novavax experienced less fatigue compared to the mRNA shots.
The Novavax vaccine provokes an immune response with nanoparticles made up of proteins from the surface of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. That approach can produce a much more versatile immune response, according to Dr. Lee W. Riley, a professor of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Riley said that if the shot is approved as a booster, he would recommend it to those who are at risk for a severe case of COVID.
Public health officials said that because the Bay Area region has such high vaccination rates already, Novavax will likely play a small role in the wider fight against COVID. Nearly 90 percent of all of Santa Clara County’s two million residents are fully vaccinated, for example, a rate that is similar across the Bay Area.
“Hopefully a few remaining (Bay Area) individuals will be encouraged by this new traditional methodology that is not mRNA-based and has been shown to have good efficacy,” said Dr. Jennifer Tong, associate chief medical officer at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. However, if Novavax is eventually approved as a booster, Tong said the county expects much higher demand.
Nationally, up to 13.9 million Americans remain without a shot, according to data provided by the CDC panel on Tuesday. The next step for the vaccine is approval by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, which is expected happen to happen quickly.
Novavax was part of the initial rush to develop a coronavirus vaccine in 2020 as part of the government’s Operation Warp Speed. But the company has been plagued by manufacturing delays, leading to a slower approval and rollout.
The new shot comes amid COVID cases soaring throughout the Bay Area and state as the new BA.5 omicron variant appears to evade mRNA vaccine protections. Novavax is working on formulations of its new vaccine that may more effectively target omicron.
On Tuesday, every single Bay Area county besides Santa Cruz was in the CDC’s “High” community transmission category. Earlier this month, California at-large surpassed the Bay Area in cases per 100,000 residents.
As case rates have risen, so have hospitalizations, though the uptick is a lot less dramatic when compared to previous COVID waves, which public health officials say can be attributed to high vaccination rates and better access to therapeutics. Data shows that about 5,000 individuals are hospitalized across the state for COVID, which is one-third what the state experienced during this past winter’s omicron wave.
While Los Angeles is set to bring back its mask mandate by the end of the month, not a single Bay Area county currently has such a rule in place, and in some cases, requirements are loosening. On Monday, BART riders could ride mask-free after the transit agency changed its rules for the second time in three months, though the policy may change depending on case rates.
Source: www.mercurynews.com