SIPH adds Novavax to COVID-19 vaccine options

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Southeastern Idaho Public Health (SIPH) is adding the two dose Novavax vaccine to their clinic beginning Tuesday.

Novavax is a protein-based, two-dose series vaccine for adults 18 years and older given 3 to 8 weeks apart. The vaccine uses traditional vaccination methods that have been used for decades and was found to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19.

“Having multiple types of vaccines offers more options for the prevention of COVID-19, including the most severeoutcomes that can occur such as hospitalization and death,” SIPH Director Maggie Mann said. “The authorization of Novavax offers southeast Idahoans who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine another option that meets the FDA’s rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality.”

Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is an important tool in the pandemic and provides a more familiar type of COVID-19 vaccine technology for adults. Novavax packages harmless proteins of the COVID-19 virus alongside another ingredient called an adjuvant that helps the immune system respond to the virus in the future. Vaccines using protein subunits have been used for more than 30 years in the United States, beginning with the first licensed hepatitis B vaccine. Other protein subunit vaccines used in the United States today include those to protect against influenza and whooping cough (acellular pertussis).

“I strongly encourage people to get whichever vaccine they can,” Mann said. “Each person vaccinated helps the whole population be more protected.”

To schedule a vaccine appointment, call your local Southeastern Idaho Public Health office. For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, visit www.siphidaho.org.