Scott Eisen/CVS Health via AP Images

With vaccines becoming more widely accepted as the best way to combat the pandemic, Novavax has completed its first round of trials on a vaccine that contains an immunity boost to the flu and Covid-19.

Last week Novavax, a vaccine manufacturer from Maryland, released results from a clinical phase study that produced immunity similar to both vaccines combined into one dose.

According to an article published by Forbes, through phase 1 trials, the company found the vaccine to be safe and effective, showing only mild side effects.

But when will the vaccine be available? It will be a while, said Dr. John Zweifler from the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

“Before a vaccine is ever approved, it needs to go through stage 2 and stage 3 trials, which are much larger and expensive,” said Zweifler. “It looks like those are not expected to occur until 2023.”

Zweifler added that this combination vaccine is similar to DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus), hepatitis A and B and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) which are all combination vaccines given to children.

He also said that this is the first he had heard of a combination vaccine for Covid-19 that was being tested.

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if others [companies] were trying to achieve something similar,” Zweifler said. “Particularly, if Covid does become endemic, which it certainly seems like it is doing, then developing strategies that can keep it in check, similar to our approach to the flu, will be necessary.”

The Novavax trial vaccine differs from the mRNA vaccines released by Pfizer and Moderna.

Novavax’s vaccine, according to Zweifler, acts as a “viral vector vaccine,” injecting particles similar to viruses to simulate an immune response.

“With mRNA, the body itself produces the antigens that are typically found on the virus,” Zweifler said. “They’re both designed to stimulate our immune system.”

Phase 2 trials have been planned towards the end of this year, with phase 3 clinical trials estimated to begin during flu season in 2023.

With the combination vaccine still somewhat on the horizon, Zwiefler adds that people should continue to protect themselves by using the same recommendations that have been used since the beginning of the pandemic — masking in crowded areas, maintaining social distancing and getting vaccinated.

“The other issue is that Covid itself is changing,” Zweifler said. “Just as we see with the flu, we have to have different formulations every year. We’re seeing something very similar with Covid; it’s modifying, we’re seeing different variants, and our treatments and also our vaccines are not as effective as they once were.”

Zweifler added that as the virus mutates and adapts, vaccines will continue to be developed and changed to combat whichever variant of the virus it is aimed to fight.

During a Friday Covid-19 media briefing, FCDPH Interim Assistant Director Joe Prado reported that around 60% of Fresno residents are fully vaccinated, but that vaccinations have seen a significant decrease over the past several weeks.

Despite that, Prado does not expect large surges in Covid-19 cases, adding that wastewater testing has reported more Covid positive results, but nowhere near concernable levels, adding that the department is “not seeing anything to indicate we’re going to see a surge in the next few weeks here.”

The FCDPH’s online covid data tracker reports that as of Tuesday, Fresno County has 231,951 cases of COVID-19, resulting in 2,744 deaths.

Despite 36 people remaining hospitalized with the virus, Fresno County finds itself near the bottom of the list in positivity rate — at a rate of 2.4% compared to California’s highest positivity rate in Imperial County, which holds an 8.9% positivity rate.