The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved a new protein-based Covid-19 vaccine, which gives people hope that it can play an important role in persuading millions of Germans who refuse to receive current vaccine injections to obtain protection against the disease . winter.
EMA approved two doses of Novavax vaccine on Monday afternoon. The German government’s vaccination advisory committee is expected to follow suit and soon allow its use. This move will be welcomed by health experts who are preparing for the huge and imminent wave of infections caused by the new Omicron variant.The first dose of Novavax is expected to be Germany in New Year.
The vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, launched by the US-based drugmaker Novavax has been repeatedly hampered by a series of long-term delays, including production problems.
It appeared in the fight against viruses about a year after the new mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna and the viral vector vaccines produced by Oxford/AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
Although these four simulate viruses in the human body, Nuvaxovid uses a more traditional technique.Has found one Effective rate is over 90% In terms of preventing the symptomatic infection of Alpha variants, it is currently undergoing further tests to check its ability to resist Omicron variants.
The reluctance of Germany and other German-speaking countries to adopt new mRNA vaccines is blamed on their distrust of the new technology. People mainly cite safety concerns about side effects or long-term health effects, mainly because of their apparent speed of being introduced.
In fact, as the director of the Robert Koch Institute, the German government’s disease control agency, has repeatedly stated, although billions of people worldwide have been vaccinated, the number of side effects suffered is very small.
The new Covid jab, made by Novavax and Valneva, the manufacturer of Faor, is also based on a more traditional method, VLA2001, and usually has the following characteristics: Totipvstov, Or “dead vaccine,” although experts say the term is not scientifically accurate.
In November, Karl Lauterbach, then the Social Democratic Health Spokesperson and later the Minister of Health, stated that the term “dead vaccine” is popular among Germans who are hesitant to vaccines. Usually also used by health professionals.
Nuvaxovid vaccine is more accurately described as a protein vaccine. Compared with traditional vaccines, it is genetically produced and contains tiny particles derived from a version of the viral spike protein grown in laboratory moth cells, which can encourage individuals to form antibodies. Valneva, still awaiting approval, consists of the Covid-19 virus, which has been inactivated and cannot reproduce.
Both vaccines require the addition of a so-called proprietary adjuvant to enhance the recipient’s immune response to them.
The EU has received 100 million doses of Novavax and 60 million doses of Valneva, of which 4 million doses of Novavax were immediately shipped to Germany.
Throughout Europe, and especially in Germany, experts hope that these two vaccines can persuade those who have so far refused to provide vaccines to change their minds, and at this time improving immunity through vaccination is one of them. The key weapon to stop the spread of the virus. So far, only more than 70% of Germans have been vaccinated. Unless this number climbs to between 80% and 90%, the country’s immunity will not be enough to suppress the virus.
In a survey conducted by the German polling agency Forsa this fall, 56% of participants said that if vaccines based on so-called “classic methods” such as Novavax and Valneva are approved, their willingness to vaccinate will increase. Only 5% said that they would be lured to get vaccinated by monetary rewards or threats of being excluded from the event due to not being vaccinated.
Approximately 14 million German adults have not yet received the first two doses of Covid vaccine. However, in a survey of people who have not been vaccinated, 40% of people said they are just hesitant. If there is a “dead vaccine”, they can indeed be persuaded.
Nonetheless, experts warn against expecting that those willing to accept a Novavax or Valneva jab will increase significantly.
Dr. Thomas Aßmann, a general practitioner and vaccinator at Lindlar, located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Cologne, said: “I’m a little skeptical. If we consider that the new mRNA vaccine they are worried about has now been successfully vaccinated about 7 to 80 Million times, I am worried that those who say they insist on the “classic” vaccine will now look at these numbers and say that Novavax can’t be trusted yet,” he told NTV Broadcasting Corporation. “We can only hope that the new vaccine is good, stable, and has long-term efficacy, especially for Omicron.”
Even Lauterbach, before Omicron is expected to become the main variant in Germany around the end of the year, his first two weeks in office have been driven by his attempts to accelerate the vaccine, especially the booster injection, and he is also skeptical.
“We shouldn’t assume that Novavax will change the rules of the game,” he told Bild in an hour-long interview broadcast live on Sunday night. He said that based on research and the fact that mRNA vaccines have been vaccinated 7 to 8 billion times worldwide, they are “much safer.”
Lauterbach encountered a gynecologist who had urged her not to get vaccinated in an interview because of the risk of thrombosis. Lauterbach shot back: “I suggest she seek a second opinion.”
Lauterbach has stated that he supports a proposal that is expected to be submitted to the Bundestag in January to implement vaccination nationwide. He acknowledged the importance of enabling those who want traditional vaccines to obtain it before taking any such measures.
