This thread explains how @Novavax is different from the #Moderna and #Pfizer #mRNA #vaccines and describes some of the benefits such as broadened #variant recognition, more durable #immunity, and fewer side effects. 🧵1/
An unrolled one-page web view for this long thread that may be easier to read or share can be found here ( ). 2/
Novavax is a protein based vaccine (similar designs have also been used for many years for tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis B). Novavax presents the full COVID-19 Spike protein in nanoparticles designed to mimic the structure of the virus itself ( ). 3/ novavax.com/science-techno…
mRNA vaccines on the other hand get your immune cells to produce copies of the full Spike protein as single Spikes on their own which may interact differently with the immune system than Novavax's multi-Spike arrangement around a core. 4/
This video shows you how the mRNA Spikes are produced in your body ( ). 5/
Another big difference between Novavax and the mRNA vaccines is that Novavax uses an adjuvant called Matrix-M made from the soapbark tree to enhance the immune response to the vaccine. 6/
This adjuvant induces early activation of innate immune cells at the injection site and in the draining lymph nodes ( ). H/T: @paulseaman31 7/ tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
You can read the study to to get much more details about the mechanisms of action with Matrix-M, including interesting facts such as within 24 hours both the Spike antigens and adjuvant are undetectable at the injection site... 8/
...since they have already been processed and transported to the draining lymph nodes by immune cells. I wonder if that is one of the reasons why many people feel much less pain in their arms after injection compared to mRNA shots? 9/
Using Matrix-M translates into an improved magnitude and quality of the antibody response to the Spike protein (antigen) and importantly broadened recognition of locations on the Spike (epitopes). 10/
This improvement was actually seen in the real world with the BA.1 and BA.5 variants and the original Novavax vaccine formula. 11/
Both Pfizer and Moderna released bivalent BA.1/BA.5 vaccines in fall 2022 since the antibodies generated from their original mRNA vaccines could no longer neutralize these newer Omicron variants. 12/
Novavax however did not release a bivalent vaccine because their original vaccine formula with Matrix-M still worked with the BA.1 and BA.5 variants. 13/
The Matrix-M adjuvant elicited antibodies from a broader set of locations on the Spike protein (epitopes) so even when some of the locations mutated with BA.1 and BA.5, the conserved locations could still be recognized by the immune system. ( ). 14/ medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
There have also been suggestions to improve mRNA vaccine potency, durability, safety and T-cell response by using adjuvants ( ). 15/nature.com/articles/s4155…
In mice they found the adjuvant in mRNA vaccines increased antibody levels 10x and produced Fc-binding antibodies which showed better control over viral replication and help predict resolution of severed COVID-19 ( ). 16/
Many people have anecdotally discovered and reported that Novavax doses had much lower side effects than when they received an mRNA shot. 17/
Multiple studies have now shown this to be the case as well. One preprint study (supported by Novavax) that compares the reactogenicity (frequency of side effects) of Novavax and mRNA vaccines ( ). H/T: @michaelzlin 18/medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
They found a notable difference in the percentage of reported side effect symptoms with Novavax being lower in each category:
* 30.8% lower muscle pain
* 30.4% lower injection site pain
* 25.7% lower fatigue
* 25.4% lower injection site tenderness
* 24.9% lower malaise
What about people who had mRNA doses previously but want to consider Novavax? There have been several studies now that found mixing the two, getting mRNA and then Novavax actually gave better results than just mRNA on its own. 21/
One study found that getting Novavax as a booster after mRNA "may enhance the persistence and durability of vaccine-mediated immunity compared to mRNA options"... 22/
...with slower decay rate compared to an mRNA booster dose and less side effects than mRNA boosters ( ). H/T: @Daniel_E_Park 23/tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
A randomized controlled trial found that getting a Novavax dose after Pfizer mRNA elicited the highest humoral and peak cellular immune responses ( ). H/T: @michaelzlin 24/journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-…
The mRNA + Novavax combination also had the lowest rate of breakthrough infections and the study also found fewer moderate and severe systemic adverse effects for Novavax than Pfizer mRNA. 25/
Neutralising antibodies against Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 were higher with Novavax after mRNA compared to two mRNA doses. 26/
Now you have more details as to how Novavax is different and some of the nice benefits including for people who had mRNA shots previously. 27/
I'm hoping that the Matrix-M adjuvant will again show its ability to broaden the immune system's ability to choose epitopes so that it might continue to work better for upcoming variants as it did when BA.1 and BA.5 emerged. 28/
FYI, I do not work for Novavax or have any investments or make any money from Novavax selling products. 29/
I am a little confused as to why @Novavax just recently filed their regulatory approval paperwork with Health Canada as many people are waiting for the fall boosters so it would be a shame if they were not available soon like the mRNA fall boosters are expected to be. 30/
While vaccines are important, they should be the last layer of protection to rely on in case all the other layers fail and you get exposed. Vaccines should not be the one and only layer governments all seem to be currently relying on. 31/ Click "Show replies" 👇 to continue.
ASHRAE Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols ( ) was released in July 2023 so this should now be adopted and required in air quality standards for buildings like governments already require clean drinking water standards for these same buildings.32/ashrae.org/technical-reso…
It is important to have good indoor air quality, not just from viruses but also for cognitive function and from other air pollutants (like wildfire smoke) which have been linked to various health problems ( ). 33/
Aerosol and particulate matter (PM) particles can also be filtered and removed from the air using HVAC filters like MERV-13 or better, HEPA filters, build yourself CR-boxes with traditional fans or super quiet versions with PC fans. 34/
You can find guides and useful information on my website ( ). 35/covid.gilchrist.ca
Since you don't have control over the air quality in most public spaces you can also use personal filters (aka masks) with a good seal designed to protect from airborne pathogens like N95 respirators. 36/
To find out how well your mask seals, you can see my thread on fit testing ( ) and some of the test results I got comparing masks ( ). 37/
Some people misunderstand and think filters such as HEPA and mask material work like a sieve or chain link fence which allow smaller objects like flies to pass through. 38/
This thread explains how the laws of physics are used to allow the filtering material to stop such tiny smoke and aerosol particles ( ). 39/
It seems Canada has not ordered any Novavax JN.1 vaccine doses for the fall which means this protein based vaccine option may not be available to anyone who wants or needs it. We are hoping you can help us change that. 🧵1/
A group of concerned stakeholders advocating for broader access to diverse COVID-19 vaccine options for Canadians, particularly those beyond the mRNA vaccines currently dominating the public offering wrote a letter to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)... 2/
...all the provinces/territories and immunization providers to address the pressing need for enhanced COVID-19 awareness and education, increased availability and access to protein-based vaccines, such as Novavax, which are currently limited in distribution. 3/
Novavax revealed they had selected the original JN.1 variant as their fall booster and recently released neutralization results on non-human primates (Macaques) including a more recent KP.2 FLiRT variant. 🧵1/
Recall that the JN.1 variant became dominant in many parts of the world in December 2023 so by the time the fall 2024 vaccine program rolls out it will be almost a year old. 2/
Lets look more closely at the neutralization results that Novavax did provide in slide 14 of their investor presentation on May 10th ( ). 3/novavax.widen.net/s/gvwfqkhbhm/2…
With wildfire smoke season here, we all need to think about air quality inside where we spend most of our time. This thread provides multiple examples measuring the air quality inside my home from wildfire smoke and cooking. 🧵1/
People now spend the vast majority of the time indoors. Adults in the USA with a 79 year life expectancy will spend on average 69 years inside of buildings and 54 of those years inside their own homes/residences ( ). 3/nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27341/…
#Variant update for #Ontario, #Canada (to May 12 2024)
The JN.1.* +FLiRT variants now make up 27% of sequences and XDK.* which is recombinant of JN.1.1.1 and XBB.1.16.11 is remaining at 5% for now. Graph tools by @Mike_Honey_ 🧵1/
JN.1 #Pirola has dropped to 7% frequency and JN.1.4 down to 9% while KP.3 FLuQE is now most prevalent at 26% while the FLiRT variants are much lower at KP.2 (6%) and KS.1 (5%). 2/
KP.3 has the F456L and Q493E mutations (FLuQE nickname) while the FLiRT variants have the same F456L mutation but a different R346T mutation. Ryan Hisner explains how FLiRT is a typical stepwise mutation but Q493E is very rare and may be different ( ). 3/
People are rightfully concerned about the high case fatality rate (CFR) of the H5N1 influenza virus but did you know fatalities from COVID infection (which already spreads easily between humans) with the elderly are as high as 40% ( )? 🧵1/
Virus infection can damage the body, we have seen this with Long COVID and this can happen with other viruses as well such as Influenza causing increased risk of cardiovascular events among other things. 2/
This study tries to indirectly measure the impact of influenza infection by looking at cardiovascular events and then measuring the risk people had if they received the influenza vaccine or not( … ). 3/ H/T: @JaninePaynterncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
#Variant update for #Ontario, #Canada (to Apr. 17, 2024)
The JN.1.* +FLiRT variants now make up 20% of sequences and XDK.* which is recombinant of JN.1.1.1 and XBB.1.16.11 has made an appearance at 5%. Graph tools by @Mike_Honey_ 🧵1/
FLiRT is a nickname for variants with F456L & R356T mutations which seem to provide an advantage over the JN.1 Pirola variants without them. You can see the current FLiRT variants here from @dfocosi. 2/
JN.1 #Pirola has dropped to around 20% frequency and JN.1.4 is hovering at 14% while the FLiRTs are gaining: KS.1 at 10%, KP.1.1 at 4%, KP.2 at 3% and XDK.1 at 4%. 3/