A month after the federal government authorized Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine for adults, the drugmaker's protein-based vaccine gained the CDC's and FDA's emergency use authorization for children 12 to 17 years old.
The fourth COVID-19 vaccine option was authorized July 19 for ages 18 and up. Eligibility grew Aug. 22 to include anyone 12 and older after a phase 3 trial found a 78.3 percent efficacy rate among teenagers when the delta variant was dominant, according to Novavax.
The latecomer's COVID-19 vaccine is based on technology older than mRNA-based vaccines like Pfizer's and Moderna's, which could entice those more comfortable with ingredients used in whooping cough and flu vaccines. As of Aug. 17, though, only 2.1 percent of the nation's supply of Novavax's vaccine has been administered, according to CDC data.
Novavax is currently seeking federal authorization for its COVID-19 booster candidate.