COVID Variant Fuels Rise in Cases, New Vaccine Option Coming Soon

Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19 are rising in the US. Driving the spike is the sharp increase in presence of the BA.5 omicron subvariant. This subvariant appears to spread more easily than past lineages, which is notable considering the high transmissibility of omicron.

While it has been suggested that the BA.5 subvariant can evade immunity granted by past infection or vaccination, COVID-19 vaccines and boosters remain the best way to avoid serious illness and hospitalization.

Importantly for the vaccination effort, the CDC also recently recommended use of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for adults. This vaccine is based on familiar protein subunit vaccine technology, which introduces harmless proteins of the COVID-19 virus alongside another adjuvant ingredient that helps the immune system respond to the virus in the future.

The same vaccine technology has been used for more than 30 years to combat hepatitis B, influenza, and whooping cough. Some vaccine-hesitant individuals have avoided the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines because they use newer technology, so these individuals may feel more at ease with the Novavax vaccine.

According to CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, “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.”