SINGAPORE, Feb 14 — Singapore will include the Nuvaxovid Covid-19 vaccine by Novavax in the republic’s National Vaccination Programme for use in individuals aged 18 years and above, for both Covid-19 primary and booster vaccination.

According to the Singapore Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) on Covid-19, it has accepted the recommendation of the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination for the inclusion of Nuvaxovid, a protein subunit vaccine, in the Programme.

"This follows the Health Sciences Authority’s (HSA) interim authorisation of the vaccine under the Pandemic Special Access Route,” said MTF in a statement issued here today.

MTF said the first batch of the Nuvaxovid vaccine is expected to arrive in Singapore in the next few months barring disruptions to the shipment schedule.

In a separate statement, the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination said in its key Phase III clinical trial study, two doses of Nuvaxovid demonstrated a vaccine efficacy of 90 per cent against symptomatic infection and 100 per cent against severe disease with the wildtype SARS-CoV-2 and the Alpha variant.

"There is no data available on its efficacy with the Delta or Omicron variants,” it said.

The Expert Committee said there have been no significant safety concerns identified with Nuvaxovid with most side effects being mild to moderate in severity and resolved in one to three days.

"These included injection site pain, fatigue, headache, and muscle aches,” it said.

It noted that Nuvaxovid as a booster vaccine resulted in a substantial rise in antibody level and cellular response, although this was to a lower extent when compared to boosting with mRNA vaccines.

It was based on the COV-Boost vaccine trial, a multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase II trial in the UK with more than 2,800 participants, which studied various vaccines for booster vaccination.

Considering its safety, efficacy, and tolerability, the Expert Committee said it recommended Nuvaxovid as an acceptable alternative to the mRNA vaccines in individuals aged 18 years and above.

Persons who receive Nuvaxovid for their primary vaccination series are recommended to receive two doses of the vaccine taken 21 days apart.

One dose of the Nuvaxovid vaccine has been recommended as a booster dose about five months after the last dose of the primary series vaccination, it said.

In view of the lower efficacy of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine, the Expert Committee said Nuvaxovid is preferred to Sinovac-Coronavac for persons medically ineligible to receive the mRNA vaccines.

Individuals who are medically ineligible for mRNA Covid-19 vaccines include those who developed anaphylaxis/severe allergic reactions or myocarditis/pericarditis to a previous dose of any mRNA vaccine. — Bernama