The Serum Institute is producing the Novavax-developed vaccine and a big question is how much supply it can ship, and when. The vaccine was long anticipated to help increase global vaccine supplies, as the shots require only refrigerated storage — an appealing option for low-income countries compared to other vaccines that require very cold storage. The U.N.-backed COVAX program, which is shipping coronavirus vaccines to many poor countries, has deals to receive some 1.35 billion Novavax doses produced by the Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine maker that has a license to produce it. It is a protein vaccine, made with an older technology that’s been used for years to produce other kinds of vaccines. Maryland-based Novavax uses genetic engineering to grow harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in insect cells.

Source: The Guardian December 17, 2021 16:53 UTC