Among the choices Americans will likely see at the pharmacy, doctor’s office, or community clinic are shots by Pfizer and Moderna as well as a newer vaccine from an American biotech company called Novavax. The Novavax shot is currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people 12 and up.

“Novavax is made of proteins that resemble proteins in the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” says Taia T. Wang, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University in California. “Those proteins are processed by the body to stimulate the production of B and T cell responses that can fight off the virus.”

Who Should Opt for Novavax?

Peter Chin-Hong, MD, an infectious-disease specialist affiliated with UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, says that although the Novavax shot has not yet been widely used, it is a highly effective choice that may help improve vaccination rates.

“People who have had severe side effects from mRNA vaccines — like myocarditis [inflammation of the heart] — often do very well with Novavax because it is a different compound and type of vaccine,” says Dr. Chin-Hong. “Also, people who are worried about the ‘newness’ of mRNA vaccines may opt to use a more traditionally made vaccine like Novavax.”