03 March 2022 | News
The Australian Government has secured 51 million doses of Novavax to compliment the vaccine rollout
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The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has recommended the use of the Novavax vaccine as a booster in Australians aged 18 and over where an mRNA vaccine is not suitable.
Novavax is the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to be provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
It has been proven safe and effective in protecting against severe illness or death associated with COVID-19 infection, with clinical trial data showing a robust immune response providing around 90 per cent protection from infection.
Protein vaccines use a non-infectious protein component of the virus manufactured in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it.
More than 25,000 Australians have received a first dose of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine since it was approved for use last month, ensuring that Australia continues to be one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is currently considering an application for whole of population use of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine as a booster following a two-dose course of either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine or the AstraZeneca vaccine.