FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in front of the displayed Novavax logo in this illustration taken, October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines on Wednesday granted emergency use authorization for Covovax, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S.-based biotechnology firm Novavax.
This is the ninth vaccine against COVID-19 that was granted an EUA in the Philippines, making it available for use.
FDA Director-General Eric Domingo on Wednesday said the vaccine is administered in two doses with a three- to four-week interval. It was approved for use on adults 18 and above.
It has an efficacy rate of 89.7% and has reported “very mild adverse events.”
“Maganda ang safety profile [ng vaccine],” Domingo said in a Laging Handa public briefing.
(It’s safety profile is good.)
Domingo said Covovax is a protein-based vaccine, which is a conventional approach that uses purified pieces of the virus to spur an immune response.