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Moody Monday: waiting for Novavax
2022-Sep-26, Monday 12:17 pmI'm not getting vaccinated with the new mRNA bivalent formulas. Wait, wait. I'm not turning anti-vax. Hear me out.
( Read more about the dangers of infection... )
So why am I not getting my next round of vaccine? Because we desperately need sterilizing immunity in the sinus and upper respiratory tract, where we are first exposed to the virus we inhale. That particular immune response is not promoted by current mRNA vaccines. The new Novavax vaccine does, at least in animal tests. Additionally, it includes the S2 spike protein (not just S1) which was highly conserved across variants (at least early back in 2021), so it should work even against future variants. WHO currently approves Novavax for primary or booster shots. Here in the USA though? Hard no. Our CDC disallows it. I contacted my doctor online about it, asking how to get it, and the only suggestion was to wait until it's approved here. I see on Twitter that some people are crossing state lines (where medical records do not cross) and lying to say they are unvaccinated, then they receive it. I dislike the idea of lying that way, so I'm waiting. I want to be eligible for it as soon as it's available. I am choosing to accept a calculated risk by waiting an unknown amount of time.
I will still take my usual precautions. This thread on how to protect newborns will remain topical for everyone. As always, you could build a Corsi-Rosenthal box for your apartment, your office, or your child's school room. Wear N95, P100, or elastomeric masks, if you can afford them, because your one-way masking is vitally important now.
( Read more about the dangers of infection... )
So why am I not getting my next round of vaccine? Because we desperately need sterilizing immunity in the sinus and upper respiratory tract, where we are first exposed to the virus we inhale. That particular immune response is not promoted by current mRNA vaccines. The new Novavax vaccine does, at least in animal tests. Additionally, it includes the S2 spike protein (not just S1) which was highly conserved across variants (at least early back in 2021), so it should work even against future variants. WHO currently approves Novavax for primary or booster shots. Here in the USA though? Hard no. Our CDC disallows it. I contacted my doctor online about it, asking how to get it, and the only suggestion was to wait until it's approved here. I see on Twitter that some people are crossing state lines (where medical records do not cross) and lying to say they are unvaccinated, then they receive it. I dislike the idea of lying that way, so I'm waiting. I want to be eligible for it as soon as it's available. I am choosing to accept a calculated risk by waiting an unknown amount of time.
I will still take my usual precautions. This thread on how to protect newborns will remain topical for everyone. As always, you could build a Corsi-Rosenthal box for your apartment, your office, or your child's school room. Wear N95, P100, or elastomeric masks, if you can afford them, because your one-way masking is vitally important now.