Australia approves Novavax’s COVID vaccine amid omicron stress

Australia approved Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday as the country struggles to contain the omicron variant. Novavax will is the fifth approved coronavirus vaccine in the country.

The country has ordered 51 million doses of the American-manufactured vaccine, supplied under the brand Nuvaxovid, for its population of 26 million, according to reports from Associated Press.

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Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine have been approved by Australian health regulators are being widely used across the country. However, Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine has been approved but is not being used.

The newly approved jab will not be used a booster dose for the Australian population will be made available as an initial dose to those aged 18 years. The protein-based vaccine is to be administered in two doses three weeks apart.

John Skerritt, the head of Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration said in a statement, “There are some individuals, notwithstanding a massive take up of vaccination in this country, who have been waiting for Novavax, and it’s great that it’s finally been approved.”

“Our dream is we might turn our 95% into a 97 or 98% in this country,” Skerritt added, according to reports from Associated Press.

Paul Griffin, associate professor of medicine at Queensland University, said Australia needed to strive to improve an already impressive vaccination rate.

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“For a variety of reasons, it seems some have remained reluctant to receive these vaccines thus far so an additional option, based on what is considered perhaps a more traditional platform, is likely to increase our vaccination rate even further,” Griffin said.

Just two days before the approval, Australia reported a record high of COVID-19 deaths, and its second-largest state declared an emergency in hospitals to cope with surging patient admissions and a staffing shortage due to the coronavirus. The 74 deaths occurred in its three most populous states.

(With AP inputs)