The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has decided to permit the Novavax monovalent COVID-19 booster for adults amid the continued pandemic. 

Earlier this week, CDC director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, signed a choice memo allowing people aged 18 and above to receive the Novavax monovalent shots as a substitute of the updated bivalent boosters from Pfizer and Moderna. 

The CDC’s memo gives eligible adults the choice to receive the Novavax booster in the event that they have accomplished the first series vaccination but haven’t received any of the COVID-19 boosters yet. Those that cannot or won’t receive the mRNA vaccines are also allowed to do the identical. 

In its press release, the general public health agency explained that some people could also be unable to receive the mRNA vaccines as a consequence of an allergy to a component of the vaccines or in the event that they had a history of a severe allergic response (anaphylaxis) to a previous dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. 

There may be also the problem of the supply of mRNA vaccines in some places, prompting the CDC to encourage the circulation of the Novavax monovalent boosters in these areas. 

The CDC’s suggestion got here after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized using the monovalent Novavax COVID-19 boosters within the country. Based on the FDA, the monovalent booster incorporates the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and Matrix-M adjuvant that enhance the immune response of the vaccinated individual against COVID-19. 

The FDA also indicated that the Novavax booster is just administered not less than 6 months after completing a primary vaccination series with a licensed or approved COVID-19 vaccine. 

The brand new memo is a crucial step forward within the country’s comprehensive vaccination program that has helped provide increased protection for all Americans against COVID-19 hospitalization and death amid the pandemic. 

Meanwhile, the CDC officially beneficial using the updated COVID-19 booster doses from Pfizer and Moderna in September, saying people aged 12 and above can receive the shots. 

The updated or bivalent boosters contained spike protein components that help restore and ensure protection from SARS-CoV-2 and its newer, more transmissible, and immune-invading variants.