As we enter the beginning of fall, the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza, RSV and COVID is expected to continue as temperatures drop and more people gather indoors.
Fortunately, there are vaccines in stock to help prevent respiratory viruses from becoming severe: In addition to the flu vaccine for the general public and the RSV vaccine for seniors and pregnant women, new COVID vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax are available this season to reduce the risk of hospitalization.
This means that adults can choose which COVID vaccine they receive: the Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccines, or Novavax, a protein-based vaccine that targets the virus in a more “traditional” way. All three have been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been widely used for several years, but the Novavax vaccine is slowly gaining support.
As a protein-based vaccine, Novavax offers an option for people who don’t want to or can’t get an mRNA vaccine, and it may also be attractive to those who want to try a “mix-and-match” approach to COVID boosters as a way to bolster their immune response.
“Even though mRNA vaccines dominate the COVID vaccine market, it is still important to have multiple different types of technologies for different pathogens, as each has specific use cases,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, said in an email.
Here’s everything we know about Novavax this year.
How is Novavax different from Pfizer and Moderna?
From talking refrigerators to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little easier to understand.
Novavax is a protein-based vaccine, which is considered a “traditional” approach to vaccination, in comparison to mRNA technology, which does not use dead or weakened viruses as components of the vaccine, but instead uses genetic code to instruct the recipient’s immune system to respond.
But Adalja said calling Novavax traditional might be a “misnomer” because the company brings its own innovations to the table: Novavax uses an insect virus that’s genetically engineered to express the spike protein, which is then incorporated into the vaccine, he explained.
“The vaccine itself contains immune system boosters called adjuvants that boost immunity,” he said, referring to ingredients that are also built into existing vaccines.
This year, there are some differences between the updated vaccines from Novavax, Pfizer, and Moderna. Both mRNA vaccines are tailored to target the KP.2 strain of COVID-19, which is a slightly newer virus than JN.1, the “parent” of KP.2 targeted by Novavax. While the FDA ultimately decided to recommend KP.2 for the vaccine, both vaccines are expected to help prevent severe illness and death.
From talking refrigerators to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little easier to understand.
Who should get Novavax? Does Novavax have various side effects?
Novavax is authorized by the FDA for use in adults and children over the age of 12, so the vaccine cannot be administered to children under the age of 12. But for most adults, which COVID vaccine to choose will depend on your preferences and availability at your local pharmacy.
But there are many reasons why people choose Novavax: For those who don’t want to get the mRNA vaccine, the availability of a protein-based vaccine like Novavax means they could get vaccinated throughout the fall and winter.
Others may be interested in Novavax for use in a “mix-and-match” approach to boosting, which has been associated with stronger immune responses in the past.
Some early studies suggest Novavax may have fewer short-term side effects such as muscle fatigue and nausea, but “this cannot be said with certainty,” Joshua Murdock, a pharmacist and pharmaceutical editor for Good Rx, said in an email.
“This is unproven, and side effects vary from person to person,” Murdock said, adding that the CDC doesn’t recommend one vaccine over another, even for people who are immunocompromised.
Adalja noted that in general, mRNA vaccines have been found to be much more “prone to reactions” than other vaccines, but that it varies from person to person. But if someone has a bad experience with an mRNA vaccine, “they might do well with the Novavax vaccine,” Adalja said.
No matter which vaccine you choose, you may experience flu-like side effects after getting the shot, including headaches, fatigue, sore arms, chills, etc. While the lack of symptoms doesn’t mean your immune system isn’t working, experiencing some side effects could be a sign that your immune system is responding to a shock, so to speak.
In rare cases, myocarditis, or heart inflammation issues, have been associated with COVID vaccinations, especially in young men and adolescents, occurring within two weeks of vaccination. Previous studies have shown that Novavax, like the mRNA vaccines, may also be associated with this rare side effect.
More information will be needed to know how all the vaccines and their newly targeted formulations work against a virus that has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. this summer and is expected to continue spreading through the fall and winter.
“While there is no firm evidence that one vaccine is preferable over another for any given individual, it will be an important research avenue to make more precise vaccine recommendations,” Adalja said.
How to find the Novavax vaccine
Novavax announced on September 13 that its vaccine will be available at the following pharmacies:
Other independent pharmacies or grocery stores
Novavax also has a vaccine search feature on its website, which you can use by entering your zip code into a little search box, which will show you nearby pharmacies that have the vaccine in stock.
