CDC clears Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine aimed at enticing vaccine holdouts [Updated]

Enlarge / The Novavax Inc. Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine. (credit: Getty | Bloomberg )

Update 7/20/2022 10:35am ET: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday signed off on the use of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine for unvaccinated adults ages 18 and older. The vaccine, which is intended to tempt vaccine holdouts with its more traditional design, should become available in the coming weeks, the CDC said.

On Tuesday afternoon, a panel of independent expert advisors for the CDC—the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—voted unanimously (12-to-0) in favor of recommending use of the Novavax vaccine after reviewing efficacy and safety data. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky endorsed their recommendation hours later, completing the last step before the vaccine can go into arms.

"Today, we have expanded the options available to adults in the US by recommending another safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine," Walensky said in a statement Tuesday evening. "If you have been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine built on a different technology than those previously available, now is the time to join the millions of Americans who have been vaccinated. With COVID-19 cases on the rise again across parts of the country, vaccination is critical to help protect against the complications of severe COVID-19 disease."