FDA greenlights emergency use for 4th COVID vaccine

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The FDA announced Tuesday it has granted a fourth COVID vaccine emergency approval. The shot is called Novavax and is given as a two dose series 3 weeks apart. 

But the U.S. already has COVID vaccines Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. So, what sets Novavax apart from the others? 

“The two major COVID vaccines…the Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines,” said Peter Pitts, former associate commissioner of the FDA. “They are relatively new, but have highly effective and safe technology. The Novavax vaccine, however, is a protein-based vaccine and is similar to the flu shots we get every year. So, a lot of people who have not yet gotten vaccinated–who are perhaps vaccine hesitant–this is their next chance to get a more traditional vaccine that may be a little less frightening.”

For this reason, Pitts says the Novavax shot should give people confidence to roll up their sleeves and get their first jab because it is manufactured the old fashioned way. 

He adds the vaccine was not tested against the omicron and its sub variants and therefore it’s not clear how it holds up against new mutations. He also says people who get the two Novavax shots will likely need a booster.