FDA advisers discuss Novavax COVID-19 shots

American adults who haven't yet gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 may soon get another choice, as advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday backed a more traditional type of shot. Next, the FDA must decide whether to authorize the vaccine made by latecomer, Novavax.

Dr. Peter Marks, Center Director, CBER, FDA: said "So I think we speak to making available another option for those who might not otherwise take a vaccine, because right now, any vaccine, even one that may need to be updated for the variants right now, getting that into someone's arm who has no vaccine is probably going to prevent them from having serious outcomes, such as hospitalization and death from COVID-19, even even from omicron, we hope."

Novavax is a protein vaccine that's made with a more conventional technology than today's U.S. options. Novavax shots are already used in Australia, Canada, parts of Europe and dozens of other countries. If the FDA authorizes Novavax as the nation's fourth vaccine, it's not clear how widely it would be used -- at least right away.