Emergency Use Authorization granted for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

An Emergency Use Authorization was granted by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States on Wednesday for the COVID-19 vaccine that was produced by the biotechnology company Novavax in Maryland. This vaccine is the fourth COVID vaccine that is offered in the United States.

The Novavax vaccine’s conventional vaccine composition includes segments of coronavirus particles that do not cause infection, making it the first of its kind being offered in the United States. The period between the first shot administered to adults and the second one will be three weeks.

The results of the tests performed on around 30,000 individuals throughout the United States and Mexico showed the vaccine was 90.4% effective.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf stated that “today’s authorization offers adults in the United States who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine another option that meets the FDA’s rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization.”

In a meeting that took place a month ago, an advisory group for the FDA passed the recommendation for an emergency use approval for the vaccine with a 21-0 vote.

The side effects of the vaccine are no different than the side effects of the other three vaccines that are currently available in the United States. The side effects include swelling at the injection site, tenderness, headaches, fatigue, redness and swelling, fever and pain, and muscle and joint pain.