There might be hope for a COVID-19 vaccine yet. Drug company Novavax has released Phase 1 and 2 clinical trial results of its vaccine candidate. According to Novavax, its vaccine is safe to use. It also triggers an immune response. The company had announced these results in early August.
The Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study showed promising results. In May, the scientists divided their 131 subjects into random groups. Out of the 131, 83 subjects got the vaccine and a booster shot. Next, 25 received the vaccine, and 23 had the placebo.
The subjects also got a second injection three weeks after the first shot. For their participants, the scientists picked people under 60 years old. They also left out people who had COVID-19 or else had recovered.
Did the Novavax Vaccine Work?
None of the subjects reported severe side effects after 35 days. The volunteers said they only had mild reactions, like fevers that lasted for a day. A couple of subjects reported having headaches, fatigue, and malaise for two days.
They also didn’t feel any severe side effects after the second shot. About nine persons felt tenderness, joint pain, and fatigue. However, the researchers found that all participants produced antibodies after the second dose.
The people who got two vaccine doses also produced over four to six times more antibodies than people who recovered from COVID-19. Moreover, the vaccine also helped 16 volunteers make T-cells to fight off the virus.
Should Novavax Release Their Vaccine?
While the early results are promising, Novavax needs to test the vaccine on tens of thousands of people. The WHO says the US is testing five vaccines, while other countries are testing 33.