The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended Novavax’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, NBC News reported.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized the Novavax vaccine for emergency use last week, but the CDC had to sign off before doses could be distributed to the public.
An independent advisory panel to the CDC voted unanimously to recommend the vaccine on Tuesday, then CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed the panel’s recommendation shortly after.
Novavax's shot, which is already available in over 40 countries, is a more traditional type of vaccine employing technology that has been used for decades to combat diseases like influenza.
"If you have been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine built on a different technology than those previously available, now is the time to join the millions of Americans who have been vaccinated," Walensky said in a statement on Tuesday. "With COVID-19 cases on the rise again across parts of the country, vaccination is critical to help protect against the complications of severe COVID-19 disease."
The company announced back in February that it has filed for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for US adults. Novavax had to delay its US submission multiple times due to development and manufacturing setbacks.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Novavax announced last week that the US government will get 3.2 million doses of the Novavax vaccine once the shot has been authorized by the regulators.
Israel several months inked a contract with Novavax, under which Israel will buy five million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the company. The deal includes the option for an additional five million doses.