Canada approves Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for use in adults 18+

Health Canada has approved Novavax’s Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine for use in Canada.

The vaccine, which is protein-based, is the first of its kind to get the go-ahead in the country.

It is approved for use in Canadians 18 years of age and older and is administered as a two-dose regimen of 5 mcg per dose, 21 days apart.

Health Canada says Nuvaxovid is 90 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100 per cent effective at preventing severe disease.

This is the fifth COVID-19 vaccine authorized in Canada.

The U.S. company Novavax Inc. submitted its package for approval to Health Canada last November.

It has already been cleared for use in other countries, including Britain, Europe, Australia and Singapore.

Last year, Ottawa inked a deal with Novavax to produce its vaccine in Canada and a manufacturing plant was built in Montreal.