U.S. drug regulators on Wednesday granted emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by biotechnology firm Novavax Inc., making it the fourth shot of its kind available in the country.
The protein-based vaccine is expected to offer an alternative for individuals with an allergic reaction to the mRNA vaccines already in wide use, such as the one made by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. It has already been authorized for use in other countries including Japan.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the Novavax vaccine in individuals 18 years of age and older. It will be administered as a two-dose series, with the injections three weeks apart.
In the United States, two types of two-dose mRNA vaccines -- the one by Pfizer and another by Moderna Inc. -- as well as a one-shot vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson have been made available after the coronavirus pandemic accelerated in 2020.
Around 22 percent of people in the United States have yet to receive a single COVID-19 vaccine shot, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The administration of President Joe Biden is once again urging people to get vaccinated as the highly transmissible BA.5 subvariant of Omicron has driven a rise in infections across the country.
According to CDC data, BA.5 is estimated to have accounted for 65 percent of all new cases in the week that ended Saturday.
