I think it's better, as the dosage is better controlled. It's still an alpha-spike-protein based vaccine though. Sinopharm seems more distinct, using entire deactivated virus particles.
I think it's better, as the dosage is better controlled. It's still an alpha-spike-protein based vaccine though. Sinopharm seems more distinct, using entire deactivated virus particles.
The Novavax vaccine works similar to a standard vaccine - it triggers an immune response to viral particles from an injection. This is extremely different from the Pfizer/Moderna or J&J/AstraZeneca methods - both the mRNA and viral vector methods rely on the injected particles penetrating existing cells and cause those cells to become a factory which generates spike proteins, which would then trigger an immune response. These four shots have some significant risks where the outcome is rather unknown. The injected particles that are not absorbed by muscle cells at the injection site enter the bloodstream and are supposed to be picked up almost entirely by the liver and spleen. Particles that get through are then supposed to be destroyed in the heart by the pressure of blood pumping in/out; however, multiple studies (including one in Moderna's FDA filing) show that some of these particles make it to the brain, penetrate the blood brain barrier and can start to bond with brain cells. Novavax does not have these issues.