New COVID vaccine available at L.A. County vaccination sites

Ampoules containing the new Corona vaccine Nuvaxovid from the manufacturer Novavax sit on a table at a vaccination center.
Ampoules containing the new Corona vaccine Nuvaxovid from the manufacturer Novavax sit on a table at a vaccination center. Photo credit Matthias Bein/picture alliance via Getty Images

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Los Angeles County coronavirus vaccination sites will start administering the Novavax vaccine beginning Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health Department announced Friday.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the vaccine on July 13 after scientists found it to be 90% effective against mild, moderate, and severe disease in the company's Phase 3 clinical trial involving 30,000 participants ages 18 and older.

"Authorizing an additional COVID-19 vaccine expands the available vaccine options for the prevention of COVID-19, including the most severe outcomes such as hospitalization and death," FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf said July 13 in announcing the vaccine's authorization.

Unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, Novavax developed its vaccine without mRNA technology.

Residents 18 years and older can get the Novavax vaccine, a two-dose primary series, with the second dose administered three weeks after the first. Boosters are not recommended, and the Novavax vaccine is not authorized for children 17 and younger.

Residents can walk into any Los Angeles County Department of Public Health vaccination location to receive the vaccine. Residents can also contact their provider to see if their provider is offering Novavax.

The number of COVID-positive patients in county hospitals remained unchanged Friday at 1,239, down from 1,280 on Wednesday. Of those patients, 138 were being treated in intensive care, down from 147 a day earlier.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Matthias Bein/picture alliance via Getty Images