Here’s the latest news from the global pandemic.
A possible booster
The success of a large trial of Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate not only suggested that it will likely add to the supply of coronavirus vaccines,
but positioned it as a potential promising technology to use for booster shots.
The shot was 90% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid and 100% effective at preventing moderate and severe symptoms, U.S.-based Novavax said Monday. It was also 93% effective against variants of concern, according to results from a secondary analysis that
mostly included cases of the alpha variant predominant in the U.S.
The data “clearly position Novavax as a viable alternative to mRNA vaccines,” Kelechi Chikere, an analyst at Jefferies, wrote in a note. Over time, Novavax’s vaccine could become
a “universal booster” due to its high efficacy and low rate of side effects, according to the note.
Novavax’s Covid vaccine
Photographer: Alastair Grant/AP
The vaccine is based on a recombinant protein technology, also used in the candidate developed by Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline. At over 90%, the
overall efficacy of the vaccine is similar to reported rates for messenger RNA shots developed by partners Pfizer and BioNTech as well as Moderna’s.
In the U.S., the vaccine may be primarily used as a booster, Novavax executives said, citing the low rate of side effects and ability to ship at refrigerator temperatures. That could be a valuable addition to the vaccine arsenal.—Robert Langreth and Todd Gillespie
Track the virus
India is going through the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreak, a tragedy exacerbated by the trauma of seeing family and friends suffer as so many other countries emerge from the pandemic. Now Indian tech companies, which support Wall Street banks and Silicon Valley giants, are trying to figure out how to address the mental-health fallout for a generation of young workers.
Read the full story here.
Family members wearing protective gear offer prayers next to the pyre of a victim who died of Covid-19 in the outskirts of Bangalore.
Photographer: MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP
What you should read
Know someone else who would like this newsletter? Have them sign up here.
Have any questions, concerns, or news tips on Covid-19 news? Get in touch or help us cover the story.
Like this newsletter? Subscribe for unlimited access to trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and gain expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.
