Posted on 10/05/2024 1:57:18 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Novavax's protein-based shot is an option for COVID vaccination this season, joining refreshed formulas from Moderna and Pfizer.
Fall is here, which means respiratory viruses like flu, RSV and COVID are expected to keep spreading as weather cools and more people gather indoors.
Luckily, we've got vaccines in stock to help prevent respiratory viruses from turning into severe illnesses. In addition to flu vaccines for the general public and RSV vaccines for older adults and pregnant people, new COVID vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax are available this season to reduce the risk of hospitalization.
This means adults have a choice in which COVID vaccine they receive: an mRNA vaccine by Moderna or Pfizer, or Novavax, a protein-based vaccine that targets the virus in a more "traditional" way. All three have been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration. While Moderna and Pfizer have been widely used over the last few years, the Novavax vaccine is building up a bit of a following.
Novavax, a protein-based vaccine, is an option for those who don't want or can't take an mRNA vaccine. Novavax may also be appealing to those wanting to experiment with the "mix-and-match" approach to COVID boosters as a way to potentially strengthen the immune response.
"Even though mRNA vaccines dominate the market for COVID vaccines, it remains important to have multiple different types of technologies against various pathogens because each may have specific use cases," Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar with Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said in an email.
Here's everything we know about Novavax this year. Also, read more about the at-home flu vaccine that will be available next year and how you can order more free COVID tests online.
How is Novavax different from Pfizer and Moderna?
Novavax is a protein-based vaccine, which people have associated with a "traditional" approach to vaccination. This is compared with mRNA technology, which does not use dead or weakened virus as an ingredient in the vaccine but instead uses genetic code to instruct the recipient's immune system to respond.
However, Adalja said that calling Novavax traditional may be a "misnomer" because it brings its own innovation to the table. Novavax uses an insect virus that has been genetically engineered to express spike proteins, Adalja explained, which are then incorporated into the vaccine.
"The vaccine itself is coupled with an immune system booster, called an adjuvant, which increases its immunity," he said, referencing a component existing vaccines have also incorporated.
This year, there are also slight differences between Novavax and Pfizer and Moderna's updated vaccines. Both mRNA vaccines have been tweaked to target the KP.2 strain of COVID-19, which is a slightly more recent version of the virus than what Novavax targets, which is KP.2's "parent" JN.1. While the FDA ultimately decided KP.2 was preferred in vaccines, all of them are expected to help protect against severe disease and death.
However, no COVID vaccines this season will be covered free of charge by the US government. While most people's insurance is expected to continue footing the bill, adults without private or public health insurance will be responsible for payment. The Bridge Access Program was expected to provide COVID vaccines for free to people without health insurance through this year, though it ended early in August due to lack of funding.
According to GoodRx, which has a coupon available for Novavax, the retail price of the protein-based vaccine is about $191.
Who should get Novavax? Does Novavax have different side effects? Novavax was authorized by the FDA for use in adults and children 12 and older, so younger kids can't get this vaccine. But for most adults, which COVID vaccine you should choose depends on your preference and what your neighborhood pharmacy has in stock.
People may opt for Novavax for different reasons, though. For people who do not want to take an mRNA vaccine, having a protein-based vaccine like Novavax available means they can still be vaccinated for the fall and winter season.
Other people may be interested in Novavax for its use in the "mix-and-match" approach to boosting, which in the past has been associated with a strong immune response.
There is some early research that suggests Novavax may have fewer short-term side effects, such as muscle fatigue and nausea, but "we can't say this for sure," Joshua Murdock, a pharmacist and pharmacy editor of GoodRx, said in an email.
"This isn't proven, and side effects do vary by person," Murdock said. He added the CDC doesn't recommend one vaccine over the other, even in people who are immunocompromised.
In general, mRNA vaccines have been found to be fairly "reactogenic" compared to other vaccines, Adalja said, noting that it also depends on the individual. But if someone had a bad experience with the mRNA vaccine, Adalja said, they "may fare better with the Novavax vaccine."
Some flu-like side effects can be expected post-vaccine, no matter which one you choose. This includes symptoms like headache, tiredness, a sore arm and even chills. Not experiencing symptoms doesn't mean your immune system isn't kicking in, but experiencing some side effects may signal that your immune system is responding to the jolt, so to speak.
In rare cases, myocarditis or heart inflammation problems have been associated with COVID vaccination, particularly in younger men and adolescents within the two weeks following vaccination. Research so far shows that Novavax, like mRNA vaccines, may also carry this rare side effect though.
Following high levels of COVID this summer in the US, more information will be needed to see how all vaccines and their freshly targeted formulas fare against the virus that's expected to continue to spread this fall and winter.
"There's no strong evidence that one vaccine is preferable to another in specific individuals, but that will be an important avenue to study for more precision-guided vaccine recommendations," Adalja said.
How to find a Novavax vaccine Novavax announced on Sept. 13 that doses of its vaccine will be available at the following pharmacies:
CVS
Rite Aid
Walgreens
Costco
Publix
Sam's Club
Kroger
Meijer
Other independent pharmacies or grocers
Novavax also has a vaccine finder on its website. To use it, type in your ZIP code in the small search box, and pharmacies nearby with the vaccine in stock will be displayed.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
no thanks...this was the only covid vax i was considering two years ago but said forget it...best decision i made.
NOPE
I'm not taking it.
You have a nice day now.
And I suppose to trust anything from these people because....?
Here’s what I know; if it’s from the govt and involves a needle, walk away. Glad I did.
Someone had a meme of a frail looking but smiling and trusting elderly woman in a hospital bed with her daughter saying to her about Obama dressed in hospital gown and head covering:
“Mother, this is Dr.Obama. He’s taking over to help you now and he’s in charge of your care.”
Novavax seems safe enough for women, but has been linked to heart damage in men.
Some family members took the Novavax after waiting for the alternative to the MRNA jabs. No side effects.
Novavax has been out for almost two years. If someone absolutely MUST, for some reason, get a vaccine for the wuhanic plague, it would be a better choice than the unsafe and ineffective mRNA concoctions.
They ain’t putting chit in my arms!
Pierre Kory commented on it. He doesn’t recommend it.
Just NO!
If people are still getting these shots, there’s no help for them. I don’t believe anything they say.
>> post #1 is always empty. No opinion...?
Could be we’re better off without nicky’s opinion...?
All you need to know about it is don’t get it. 🙄
A long time ago I was buying some razor blades and realized it was October 31, so I bought a small bag of apples too. Yes, I got a strange look from the cashier, which was the whole point of doing that.
How many of the 10 to 15 million illegal immigrants who’ve been welcomed into the country by our evil leaders, and given all sorts of monetary benefits, have taken any kind of COVID jab? Or even been tested for COVID?
How many Americans have even asked this question, either out loud or to themselves?
The illegals are given maps to navigate their way through Central America. The women are given rape kits, in order to make submitting to the cartels a little less unpleasant. They’re given money, cell phones, EBT cards. They’re put on buses and planes and put up in hotels.
But I’ll bet not one of them were told “wear a mask”... “six feet social distance” ....”get the jab and get your life back”.
As a volunteer "Lab Rat" for Phase 3 of the Novavax vaccine I had no side effects during the 24 months that I was regularly tested nor since. There was no way I was going to Have a "Novel mRNA" vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer are expanding the use of mRNA for numerous medications, none of which I would recommend getting until the effects are fully known in the future! My Wife, on the other hand gets no vaccines! Having been inoculated against all manner of exotic diseases by Uncle Sam I've been a "Lab Rat" for my entire 80 years!
just making threads to make threads so things don’t look so slow around here?
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