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The Nationwide Guard started transport the newly accredited Novavax coronavirus vaccine this month to its models throughout the nation in an effort to enchantment to these service members resisting beforehand launched vaccines.
The Nationwide Guard Bureau stated Thursday that the vaccines, that are based mostly on extra conventional know-how, ought to arrive at models this month. It’ll take about 90 days to get reportable information on troops’ acceptance of the shot, bureau officers stated.
It’s greater than a month previous the Guard’s June 30 deadline to be immunized in opposition to the coronavirus and about 10% of the 336,000 Army Nationwide Guard troops, or roughly 33,600 members, haven’t acquired at the very least one vaccine shot. Within the complete Guard drive of 440,000 troopers and airmen, about 39,600 stay unvaccinated, in accordance with the Nationwide Guard Bureau.
Unvaccinated Guard troops have been lower off from a few of their advantages and barred from collaborating in federal coaching, drills and different army duties. The Guard has not introduced any separations which have resulted from refusing the vaccine.
Novavax makes use of a two-dose routine, which has similarities to the extra widespread vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna, although the best way it builds immunity within the physique is totally different. Novavax makes use of proteins to ship the virus, whereas the opposite two vaccines use a brand new know-how often called mRNA.
Many looking for non secular exemptions from the vaccines have accomplished so as a result of mRNA vaccine know-how was developed or examined with fetal cell strains derived from elective abortions that occurred within the Seventies and Eighties, in accordance with UCLA Well being. Nevertheless, not one of the vaccines include aborted fetal cells.
The Navy and Air Pressure even have begun making the Novavax vaccine obtainable to service members after it was accredited final month for emergency authorization for adults and the nationwide Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention endorsed it.
“Most airmen and guardians have already acquired vaccines utilizing related know-how because the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, just like the hepatitis B vaccine, which is a Division of Protection requirement. Different vaccines produced with related know-how are the human papillomavirus vaccine and even one of many flu vaccines,” Lt. Col. David Sayers, chief of preventive drugs for the Air Pressure Medical Readiness Company, stated in an announcement. “The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine makes use of know-how that has been round because the Eighties. Not solely do we’ve effectiveness and security information from the Novavax scientific trials, however we even have a long time of expertise with such a vaccine.”
In scientific trials carried out earlier than the emergence of the delta and omicron variants of the virus, Novavax was 90.4% efficient in stopping gentle, average or extreme coronavirus infections, in accordance with the Air Pressure. Unvaccinated service members should obtain the 2 doses — taken at the very least 21 days aside — to be thought of absolutely vaccinated and meet the Protection Division vaccine requirement.
