Washington, 20 July 2022 (dpa/MIA) — Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine for adults will be made available to people aged 18 and above who require or prefer a protein-based vaccine in the US, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said on Wednesday. His statement came after the step was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The nod by the CDC came followed barely a week after the Food and Drug Administration's authorization of the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in individuals 18 years and older, as a primary vaccination series against SARS-CoV-2, and an Advisory Community on Immunization Practices' recommendation for use of this vaccine. "The Novavax vaccine is one more important tool in our Covid-19 response, and it marks one more way we're working to make safe and effective vaccines available to the public," Becerra said in a statement. "Based on CDC and FDA action, the Novavax vaccine will be available for people age 18 and up who require or prefer a protein-based vaccine. We will leave no stone unturned to protect people against COVID-19 and save lives," he added. The Novavax Covid-19 vaccine is designed and manufactured differently than the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) Covid-19 vaccines. It contains a SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein, which is also known as an "antigen" of the coronavirus, in combination with an adjuvant, which enhances the immune system response to the spike protein. FDA-approved protein-based vaccines have been used widely for decades. Examples of more recently approved vaccines that contain a purified protein combined with an adjuvant include vaccines to prevent hepatitis B and shingles. The Novavax Covid-19 vaccine offers an option to individuals who may be allergic to a component in the mRNA vaccines, or who have a personal preference for receiving a vaccine other than an mRNA-based vaccine. This is the fourth SARS-CoV-2 vaccine authorized for use in the United States. Under the Biden Administration's intensive vaccination program, more than 260 million US citizens received at least their first shot, while 222 million have received both the doses, and nearly 110 million people a booster shot. Still, more than 21% of the eligible population in the US hasn't yet received even a single vaccine to protect them from the airborne virus. Biden said that although his government's unprecedented effort has already saved more than 2 million US lives, "more people need to roll up their sleeves, particularly as we confront BA.5." He was referring to an Omicron sub-strain that is more transmissible and is spreading at present.