EXPERT COMMITTEE ON COVID-19 VACCINATION RECOMMENDS EXTENDING THE USE OF NOVAVAX/NUVAXOVID TO AGES 12-17 YEARS

        The Health Sciences Authority has authorised the Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years under the Pandemic Special Access Route. After studying the data, the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination recommends that Novavax/Nuvaxovid may be offered as an alternative to the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine in adolescents aged 12-17 years.

2        The vaccine generated comparable antibody levels in age 12-17 years as it did in adults and had a vaccine efficacy of 79.5% while the Delta variant was circulating. Most side effects were mild to moderate in severity and resolved within days. No local cases of myocarditis after Novavax/Nuvaxovid in adults have been observed, although very rare reports of myocarditis were reported overseas. To note, the Novavax/Nuvaxovid is not an updated vaccine unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Bivalent vaccine available to ages 12-17 years under the National Vaccination Programme.

3        This will provide adolescents aged 12-17 years an alternative to the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, particularly those who might be medically ineligible for the latter. The committee encourages adolescents aged 12-17 years who have yet to achieve minimum vaccine protection to do so with three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Bivalent vaccine, or the Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine as an alternative.

EXPERT COMMITTEE ON COVID-19 VACCINATION
12 MAY 2023