questions and answers
Corona vaccine from Novavax
Nuvaxovid launches in Germany: what makes it different from mRNA vaccines
Nuvaxovid is the name of the Corona vaccine from Novavax and is now also being vaccinated in Germany
© Alastair Grant/AP/DPA
Many people in Germany who mistrust previous mRNA vaccines will soon be able to be vaccinated against Corona. The inactivated corona vaccine will be available in Germany from Monday. The answers to the most important questions about Novavax.
Almost every seventh adult in Germany is still not vaccinated against Corona. Some of these people are suspicious of the four vaccines available so far. According to Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD), the first 1.4 million doses of the vaccine from the US manufacturer Novavax should arrive in Germany this Monday – can the vaccine called Nuvaxovid help to close the vaccination gap? It is based on more traditional technology – and the hope is that more previously unvaccinated people can be immunized. The most important answers to the vaccination start of the fifth corona vaccine.
Why are some people waiting for the Novavax vaccine?
The most commonly administered vaccines in Germany – the funds from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna – are mRNA vaccines. Before Corona there were no approved vaccines based on mRNA. This makes some people suspicious. Like the vector vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and Astrazeneca, mRNA vaccines are based on the fact that our body cells produce a small part of the virus – the spike protein – themselves. This triggers an immune response that protects us. The Novavax vaccine, on the other hand, is based on a more traditional process.
How does Nuvaxovid work?
Nuvaxovid consists of virus-like particles containing the spike protein of the coronavirus and an potentiator. Some people highlight Nuvaxovid as a – supposedly safer – inactivated vaccine, i.e. as a vaccine without live, reproductive pathogens. In science, however, this concept is not clearly demarcated from others; According to the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), the other four vaccines are also “functionally” dead vaccines, i.e. they do not contain any living viruses.
Is Nuvaxovid expected to give new impetus to the vaccination campaign?
It is hoped that the Novavax vaccine will be an alternative for those who have reservations about mRNA vaccines. But whether this will have a broader impact is not certain. Caregivers who have not yet been vaccinated have repeatedly stated that they would wait for an inactivated vaccine. In mid-January, Lauterbach explained that the preparation was “quasi a dead vaccine” – and should be particularly available to those who prefer this type of vaccination.
How does the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) assess the situation?
Carefully. On Thursday, the RKI stated in its Epidemiological Bulletin: Since the introduction of the mRNA- and vector-based vaccines, there has been discussion to what extent the vaccines based on newer technologies are the reason for the proportion of people without Covid 19 vaccination protection. With Nuvaxovid, a protein-based inactivated vaccine has now been approved in the EU, which is based on a technology that has been in use for over 35 years. However, the vaccine contains a new type of adjuvant, i.e. a new auxiliary substance. A survey of previously unvaccinated people in autumn 2021 showed that the only measure for a relevant increase could be vaccines based on a classic active principle. However, the Nuvaxovid approval was not yet foreseeable – it is questionable whether the willingness to vaccinate is really changing.
Can anyone who is interested now get vaccinated with Nuvaxovid?
In any case, it should not fail due to a lack of vaccine doses. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, four million vaccine doses from Novavax are to be delivered to Germany in several tranches in the first quarter – up to 34 million vaccine doses throughout the year. The Standing Vaccination Committee (Stiko) had spoken out in favor of use from the age of 18 – with two doses at least three weeks apart. According to the health ministers of the federal states, priority should be given to vaccinating Nuvaxovid to employees in the affected facilities who have not yet been vaccinated. For employees in nursing and in clinics, vaccination will take effect from mid-March.
When do the first vaccinations start?
“We expect the first delivery from Monday,” confirmed a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health on Sunday. But it differs from country to country when it is used there. This should often be the case in the first week of March. Vaccination campaigns with Nuvaxovid are planned in Lower Saxony at the beginning of March. It also starts in Hamburg at the beginning of March. In Berlin, the distribution should probably start on February 28th. According to a survey, around 1,800 out of 4,000 unvaccinated hospital employees in the capital were interested in vaccination with Novavax. From Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where Novavax vaccination appointments have been able to be arranged since February 9th, the social department said at the end of the week: “Unfortunately, the registrations are falling short of expectations.”
How good and how well tolerated is the vaccine?
According to Stiko, in the approval studies, the vaccine showed a high level of effectiveness comparable to that of the mRNA vaccines. It is not yet possible to assess how well the agent protects against omicron. Nuvaxovid often leads to local and systemic vaccination reactions that can last for a few days and are similar to those after vaccination with the other corona vaccines. The pivotal studies did not reveal any safety concerns in terms of serious adverse effects. However, Stiko also emphasizes that the data on Nuvaxovid is still limited. Some experts point out that the data situation for mRNA vaccines, for example, is significantly better with billions of doses administered.