WHO Grants Novavax Covid Vaccine Emergency Use Approval As Omicron Fears Deepen

WHO Grants Novavax Covid Vaccine Emergency Use Approval As Omicron Fears Deepen

Share to Linkedin A less expensive, easier to distribute coronavirus vaccine developed by Maryland-based Novavax was granted emergency authorization by the World Health Organization on Wednesday, raising hopes that it could help increase global inoculation rates as the world braces for new coronavirus outbreaks. Dr. Stephaun Wallace, who leads the global external relations strategies COVID-19 Prevention Network ... [+] at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, receives his second injection from Dr. Tia Babu during the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine phase 3 clinical trial at the UW Virology Research Clinic on February 12, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The emergency approval will pave the way for more countries to accept the vaccine and for it to be distributed through the COVAX program, the United Nations-backed vaccine-sharing initiative. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines, which are based on messenger RNA, the Novavax jab is a protein-based vaccine, similar to shots that have been on the market for decades, boosting hopes it could be a choice for people skeptical of new vaccines. The vaccine, which is produced by the Serum Institute of India, is also cheaper to make and can be stored in most refrigerators, unlike other coronavirus vaccines that require storage in