Posted on 07/16/2021 9:37:42 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Early last month, the pharmaceutical company Novavax shared that its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective at preventing COVID-19.
But experts have pointed to an additional interesting tidbit in the research: This new vaccine may cause fewer side effects than those currently available in the U.S.
Based on their data, the Novavax vaccine has a significantly lower rate of side effects compared to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The symptoms commonly reported were similar to those already associated with COVID-19 vaccines like fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.
The company plans to file for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. As vaccination rates stall nationwide, an additional vaccine like Novavax may seem unnecessary. But the possibility for fewer side effects and the use of reliable, trusted vaccine technology may work to convince those who remain unvaccinated to get their shot.
Vaccine side effects can be an important factor affecting whether people get the jab.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly half of unvaccinated adults worry about missing work if the vaccine's side effects make them feel sick for a day or more.
“Lower rates of vaccine side effects are important, in particular for adults who are concerned about lost wages or unscheduled time away from work,” Tanjala Purnell, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, tells Verywell. “On average, hourly-wage workers often earn less overall income as compared with salaried workers. Therefore, these clinical trial results may be especially appealing to people who have concerns about loss of income due to sick days or potential time away from work due to vaccine side effects and/or complications.”
If a vaccine like Novavax that causes fewer or less severe side effects becomes available, vaccination rates may increase among people in lower-income communities who can't afford to miss a day’s worth of pay. According to recent Census Bureau data, more than half of unvaccinated Americans live in households that make less than $50,000 annually.
“For example, an adult who is employed in an hourly-wage job may have less schedule flexibility and less job security than a person who is employed in a salaried position,” Purnell says. “Because of our current system of employer-based health insurance in the U.S., concerns about job security may also lead to concerns about disruptions in access to healthcare, in the event of job loss.”
Some employers are offering paid time off for COVID-19 vaccine appointments and subsequent recovery days. If you haven't been vaccinated yet and you're concerned about losing a day's worth of pay, it's best to check with your employer. To look for available vaccine appointments near you, visit Vaccines.gov.
But what's behind this difference in side effects? It may due to the vaccine mechanisms at work.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines and the Novavax protein-based subunit vaccine were developed using different technology.
Novavax was developed using protein-based, subunit technology.
Subunit vaccines do not include any live components, containing only the specific parts of a viral or bacterial pathogen. These parts—subunits—are what the immune system needs to be exposed to so it can recognize them and develop a protective response.
“We have experience with this well-established technology and these vaccines are relatively very stable,” Inci Yildirim, MD, PhD, vaccinologist and pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Yale Medicine and associate professor of pediatrics and global health at the Yale School of Medicine, tells Verywell. “They are also relatively cheap and easy to produce. There is no live virus or bacterium in these vaccines, so certain groups such as individuals with immunocompromising disease can receive these vaccines.”
Subunit vaccines are reliable and familiar—they have been around for many years. This technology is behind many of the routine childhood vaccinations for whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, and hepatitis B. They are also more stable and easier to store, unlike mRNA vaccines that require ultra-cold conditions for distribution.
“There is a huge experience behind this technology,” Yildirim says. “Some people may find this appealing, and we may have more people getting vaccinated. The subunits included in the vaccine are necessary to elicit a protective immune response, but they are not live, or they are not whole viruses and cannot cause disease in the vaccine recipient.”
The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines don’t use a weakened or inactivated virus to trigger an immune response either. They both use a new type of vaccine that teaches the cells to make a spike protein so the immune system can build a response against it.
Examining the specific parts of a viral or bacterial pathogen to include in a subunit vaccine is a tedious process. But that process is much easier when making mRNA vaccines.
“Determining the best antigen to include in the vaccine takes time and it will take longer to change this antigen if needed,” Yildirim says. “This will take much less time with mRNA vaccines since once the genomic target is identified, mRNA signature can be quickly and easily edited, and a new version of the vaccine can be manufactured. We have started our clinical trials with NIH/Moderna mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 within two months after the genome of the virus was sequenced.”
Aside from their technology, mRNA and subunit vaccines also differ in the immune response they evoke in the body.
“Subunit vaccines are expected to trigger only antibody-mediated immune responses,” Yildirim says. “mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been shown to induce B cell and T cell responses.”
This, however, doesn't drastically change efficacy rates.
“The overall efficacy of these three vaccines is similar, ranging between around 90% to 95%,” Yildirim adds. “They all have 100% efficacy for severe COVID-19 disease.”
It remains to be seen whether this report of fewer side effects holds up in a real-world setting.
But whether the Novavax vaccine is less likely to cause side effects or not, having a potential fourth COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. is still beneficial.
With the approval of Novavax, healthcare providers and individuals would have more options to choose from, which may increase national and global demand.
“It is certainly important for us to have access to several vaccines that are effective against COVID-19,” Purnell says. “Globally, we continue to learn about new variants of the COVID-19 virus, and we are still learning more about long-term vaccine effectiveness over time. If we need additional booster shots in the future, it will be important for us to have an appropriate vaccine supply here in the U.S.”
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.
What makes Novavax different? Was it produced similar to a traditional viral vaccine? Does it contain or was it developed / produced utilizing aborted fetal cells and or tissue?
The Noravax is not a traditional vaccine. It is not a killed or attenuated virus. It is a purified SARS-COV-2 spike protein manufactured by moth cells. Protein vaccines have been around for over 30 years beginning with the Hepatitis B vaccine. The difference is in the method of manufacture of the protein. The moth cells are exposed to mRNA that codes for the spike protein. The main problem with the concept is that once the the protein is manufactured, it has to be purified. Changing the protein to make it more effective against newer variants requires adjustments to the purification processes.
Thanx.
I too avoided the mRNA vacs, and waited until J&J was re-released. I probably would have preferred Novavax had it been available. At any rate, I have been taking a carefully selected batch of supplements for around 50 years. I am now 83 and in good vigor and health. Last year I increased the amount of zinc and Vitamin D3 I was taking. I already take from 3 to 7 grams a day of Vitamin C for my allergies. The day before I went for J&J I added 500 mg of Quercetin, and 50 mg. of zinc, which I continued for a whole week. When I got my J&J, I had needle stick pain for 10 minutes, then no pains at all ever after. Last fall when I took Shingles vaccine, I had sore or tender shoulder for 2 or 3 days.
Last year I submitted testimony to a Council hearing on vaccines. I suggested that the vaccine people should watch out for people with the gene or genes for Factor 5 Leiden and Sickle Cell trait or Disease, which are genetic blood disorders. I subsequently spoke to a friend with one gene for Factor 5 Leiden who works in the medical field. He probably took Moderna, or possibly Pfizer. The first shot caused nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The second shot caused the same symptoms, but much more severe. Unfortunately he is not the kind of person that you can suggest supplements might keep you from catching Covid, or reducing symptoms from a Covid shot. At any rate I certainly hope Novavax is approved soon so people concerned about new mRNA technology or the fetal tissue issue have another choice. I get the impression that Novavax uses moth tissue, not fetal tissue as the biological agent.
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