Novavax Covid vaccine could win Dutch approval Friday as mRNA alternative

The Dutch Health Council recommended that adults who are unvaccinated against COVID-19, and object to using vaccines based on newer mRNA techniques, should be given the opportunity to opt for the new vaccine from Novavax, reported NL Times.

The advisory note sent from the Council to health minister Hugo de Jonge gave a positive recommendation to use Novavax's two-dose Nuvaxovid jab in the Netherlands, which has a deal to acquire 840,000 doses.

The European Commission allowed the vaccine to enter the European market earlier in the week, after a positive decision by the European Medicines Agency.

The jab was found to be sufficiently safe and effective according to the medical experts, but one drawback is that it is not yet known to what extent it is effective against the Omicron variant.

Novavax has said preliminary research showed Nuvaxovid is effective against Omicron. Those who received the vaccine earlier in the pandemic also showed a positive immune response against Omicron after receiving a booster shot.

However, the Health Council said it expects the vaccine will be less effective against the new variant, and until more is known, it recommended that the mRNA-based Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna jabs be offered first to unvaccinated people.