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However, the vaccine appears to be less effective against the variant of the virus that is spread in South Africa than that which is dominant in the UK.
The company is among those that have received support from the US authorities through the so-called Operation Warp Speed, reports the New York Times. While the Pfizer / Biontech and Moderna vaccines are based on newer mRNA technology, Novavax uses an older method in which coronavirus proteins are used to elicit a response from the body’s immune system.
Now they have analyzed the results of a trial in so-called phase 3, where the vaccine is tested in larger population groups. More than 15,000 have participated in the test in the UK, where the efficiency is set at 89.3 per cent.
However, in a small test in South Africa, the efficiency was much lower, below 50 percent. In January, Novavax began work to tailor the vaccine to several of the virus variants, according to the New York Times.
“NVX-CoV2373 has the potential to play an important role in solving this global health crisis,” said Stanley Erck, president and CEO of the company.
(© NTB)
