New protein-based COVID-19 vaccine could help boost rates, say pharmacists

For New Brunswickers who have been hesitant or unable to get an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, there's now a new option.

Novavax Nuvaxovid, the first protein-based COVID vaccine authorized for use in Canada for people 18 and older, became available in New Brunswick last week, says the Department of Health.

There are about 320 doses in the province, said spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane.

Only four pharmacies are currently administering them — one each in Fredericton, Dieppe, Saint John and Miramichi.

Ayub Chishti, pharmacist and manager of the Fredericton location, Campus Pharmacy, said the uptake so far "hasn't been that great."

But what Novavax Nuvaxovid has done, he said, is encourage some people who are unvaccinated to finally get their shot.

Chishti vaccinated about 10 people at a Nuvaxovid clinic last week and has another 10 booked at a clinic this Thursday. He estimates about half of them "would not have got the vaccine if it wasn't for this one."

"There was so much controversy with the mRNA vaccines and the technology was new. … So they were nervous about getting the vaccine and they wanted to see what effects it had on people.

"But with the Novavax, it feels as a Canadian product, they feel a bit more convinced that it's a good product."

Health Canada's chief medical adviser, Dr. Supriya Sharma, has said both vaccine types have the same objective — to expose a person's immune system to the SARS-CoV2 spike protein and activate the immune system to make antibodies to neutralize it the next time the person is exposed to the virus. But the approaches are different.

"mRNA vaccines contain molecular manufacturing instructions for our cells to make the spike protein. With a protein subunit vaccine, a modified version of the spike protein itself is delivered," she said.

"These vaccines cannot cause COVID-19 because they only contain small purified pieces of proteins and not the virus itself."

Protein-based vaccines are already used for other diseases, such as hepatitis B, pertussis (whooping cough) and influenza.

"The most important part of getting vaccinated is to feel comfortable with it," said Chishti. "And with Novavax, that is providing a little bit more comfort zone to a few remaining ones, which is good."