10-16-2022, 08:54 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-16-2022, 08:56 PM by mordant.)
Coronavirus spreads. But don't panic! (topical thread)
Coronavirus spreads. But don't panic! (topical thread)
Has anyone here by chance gotten the Novavax vaccine?
Novavax works by clipping off the spike protein that Covid needs to insert its DNA into host cells, so it works with all present and future variants by simply denying Covid the ability to reproduce.
Although this is approved and in use in Europe as a booster, it is only approved in the US as a first shot, and they dragged their feet on approving even that. It's made with conventional vaccine tech, so isn't as sexy as the mRNA vaccines -- still, it is a novel and potentially game-changing approach. It was difficult to pull off, which is why it took longer to come to market.
In my area, no pharmacy within 50 miles carries it.
Some claim the situation in the US is because Pfizer is a major donor to the Biden administration, but I have no idea what the dynamic is ... just that if I were Pfizer or Moderna I'd do everything in my power behind the scenes to crush this young upstart like a bug.
There are ways to game the system and get Novovax as a booster, though it potentially requires lying or at least evasion. Basically, either see if your doc will give you a scrip (because he's contrarian or just ignoarant of the rules), otherwise, call a pharmacy chain you haven't used before, claim you lost your vaccine card, ask them if they have a record of your past vaccinations. If the answer is no, thank them, hang up, and make an appointment via their web site, then show up and, if asked, indicate you've never been vaccinated before. That kind of thing. Also, you might be better off paying ro it out of pocket rather than trying to run it through insurance.
I am toying with giving this a go 6 months after my last Pfizer booster, which will be -- what -- March. I think it's a series of 2 or 3 shots though.
Meantime I believe the nasal spray vaccine is imminent ... this could also be helpful by preventing infection in the upper respiratory tract, well before it ever gets to the lungs.
Novavax works by clipping off the spike protein that Covid needs to insert its DNA into host cells, so it works with all present and future variants by simply denying Covid the ability to reproduce.
Although this is approved and in use in Europe as a booster, it is only approved in the US as a first shot, and they dragged their feet on approving even that. It's made with conventional vaccine tech, so isn't as sexy as the mRNA vaccines -- still, it is a novel and potentially game-changing approach. It was difficult to pull off, which is why it took longer to come to market.
In my area, no pharmacy within 50 miles carries it.
Some claim the situation in the US is because Pfizer is a major donor to the Biden administration, but I have no idea what the dynamic is ... just that if I were Pfizer or Moderna I'd do everything in my power behind the scenes to crush this young upstart like a bug.
There are ways to game the system and get Novovax as a booster, though it potentially requires lying or at least evasion. Basically, either see if your doc will give you a scrip (because he's contrarian or just ignoarant of the rules), otherwise, call a pharmacy chain you haven't used before, claim you lost your vaccine card, ask them if they have a record of your past vaccinations. If the answer is no, thank them, hang up, and make an appointment via their web site, then show up and, if asked, indicate you've never been vaccinated before. That kind of thing. Also, you might be better off paying ro it out of pocket rather than trying to run it through insurance.
I am toying with giving this a go 6 months after my last Pfizer booster, which will be -- what -- March. I think it's a series of 2 or 3 shots though.
Meantime I believe the nasal spray vaccine is imminent ... this could also be helpful by preventing infection in the upper respiratory tract, well before it ever gets to the lungs.
