The Novavax vaccine candidate is nearly 90% effective against COVID-19 – but just under 50% effective against the new South African variant of the virus, the company announced on Thursday.
A UK study found that the Novavax vaccine was 89.3% effective in protecting test participants from developing symptoms of COVID-19, the company said in a press release.
The good results came despite the new variant of highly transmissible coronavirus now circulating in the UK.
“These are spectacular results and we are thrilled to have helped Novavax develop this vaccine,” said Stanley C. Erck, who runs the Maryland company.
“The effectiveness shown against the emerging variants is also extremely encouraging.
But several preliminary results from a small separate study in South Africa – where a different coronavirus mutation wreaks havoc – showed that Novavax’s shot was only 49.4 percent effective, meaning that just over half of test subjects received jab and then became ill again. .
Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been shown to be over 90% effective against COVID-19.
As of Thursday, New York has 22 cases of the new coronavirus strain in the UK. The first two cases of a South African strain in the US have just been found in South Carolina, officials announced on Thursday.
Modern said it is developing a vaccination booster to combat the strain first identified in South Africa.