Health officials approve Novovax Covid-19 vaccine for use in Ireland

Nuvaxovid, produced by Novovax, is the fifth vaccine available for use in Ireland. Stock Image

Health officials have approved a fifth Covid-19 vaccine for use in Ireland.

The Nuvaxovid vaccine, produced by Novavax, was approved by the European Medicines Agency in December and has now been authorised by Irish health figures too.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has announced that Novavax’s vaccine, also known as NVX-CoV2373, can now be used to vaccinate those aged 18 years of age and older.

The authorisation comes on the back of recommendations made by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who has endorsed the recommendations.

Mr Donnelly welcomed the update to the national booster vaccination programme.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the vaccine will be available next month. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

“This is the fifth Covid-19 vaccine authorised for use in Ireland and is a welcome addition to our vaccination programme as it provides another option for adults who remain unvaccinated or partially vaccinated This particular vaccine, Nuvaxovid, is a spike protein-based vaccine, and is the first Covid-19 vaccine to be approved that is based on that used in existing vaccines with which we are very familiar including Hepatitis B and whooping cough,” he said.

“The vaccine has been shown to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic, moderate and severe disease. We expect the vaccine to be available next month, and I would urge the small number of people who have yet to come forward for a primary course of a Covid-19 vaccine to do so."

This vaccine is suitable for those individuals who could not avail of another Covid-19 vaccine because of a medical contra-indication such as an allergic reaction.

The vaccine is given in two doses with an interval of three weeks between doses.

“The main purpose of vaccination is to prevent serious illness and death – Covid-19 vaccines continue to prove remarkably effective in this regard and so it is really important that anyone yet to receive any course of Covid-19 vaccine does so as soon as possible, including those aged 5 – 11 years who are eligible to receive a Pfizer vaccine,” said Mr Donnelly.

“The evidence also shows that those who have been boosted are less susceptible to infection and, if infected, are less infectious to others, compared with those who have not been boosted. If you are yet to receive your booster, please do so as soon as possible – it will protect you and those around you,” he added.

Results from two main clinical trials found that Nuvaxovid was effective at preventing Covid-19 in people aged over 18. The first study, conducted in Mexico and the United States, found a 90.4% reduction in the number of symptomatic cases of Covid-19 seven days after a second dose had been issued.

A second study in the UK found a vaccine efficacy of 89.7%.