Indiana doctor lists advantages of Novavax booster

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – First it was Pfizer, then Moderna and now the FDA has given the green light to Novavax’s COVID booster shot for adults 18 and older. 

But with two boosters already on the market, why is a third one necessary?

“We’ve had hundreds of millions of doses of Pfizer and Moderna given to Americans over the last two years,” Dr. Christopher Doehring, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Health, told News 8. “There are some folks that can’t or won’t take another round of the mRNA vaccine. So, if that’s their stumbling block for whatever reason – whether they had a reaction to the mRNA vaccine and they don’t want a repeat or they didn’t feel comfortable in the first place – this offers another option for people who haven’t gotten a booster yet.” 

Novavax uses a different technology than Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA technology which gives it an advantage. Instead of relying on a person’s body to create the spike protein to mount an immune response, the spike protein is injected directly making the immune response more vigorous. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35% of the U.S. population have received a first booster dose.