Coronavirus: First Novavax jabs on Saturday (updated)

Coronavirus: First Novavax vaccine rollout begins

The first vaccinations in Cyprus with Novavax’s new protein-based jab against the coronavirus, Nuvaxovid, have been booked through the vaccination portal and will be administered on March 12, the Cyprus News Agency reported on Tuesday.

It said that slots for the new vaccine are available on the portal as from today.

Nuvaxovid is administered only for first vaccinations against Covid and for the time being will not offered for booster jabs, it added.

A total of 15,000 doses will be made available through the vaccination portal. The vaccine is only available by appointment, and not at walk-in vaccination centres, the health ministry said.

Novavax’s recombinant protein vaccine contains a version of a protein found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 (the spike protein), which has been produced in the laboratory.

It is administered in two doses to adults with a three-week interval between doses.

According to studies carried out, the efficacy of the Nuvaxovid vaccine is approximately 90 per cent.

When a person is given the vaccine, their immune system will identify the protein inthe vaccine as foreign and produce natural defences — antibodies and T cells — against it.

If, later on, the vaccinated person comes into contact with SARS-CoV-2 virus, the immune system will recognise the spike protein on the virus and be prepared to attack it. The antibodies and immune cells can protect against COVID-19 by working together to kill the virus, prevent its entry into the body’s cells and destroy infected cells.

Vaccination centres in all districts operate from 8.00 am to 3.00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week.

Every Wednesday, walk-in jab centres in all districts operate from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm and on Saturdays from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm.