• Partnership with HealthyWomen and actor, mother and business owner Nicole Ari Parker encourages people to get informed about the importance of COVID vaccination and vaccine options
•  The Choose to Protect survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, found 85% of U.S. adults aged 45+ agree it is important to have a range of COVID vaccine options for themselves and their family¹
• Only two in five survey respondents say they are highly knowledgeable about the science behind different types of COVID vaccines¹

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a global company advancing protein-based vaccines with its novel Matrix-M™ adjuvant, today announced it has joined forces with HealthyWomen and actor, mother and business owner Nicole Ari Parker to launch Choose to Protect™, a campaign to educate the public about the importance of COVID vaccination and the different types of COVID vaccines. COVID is now the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.² 

"As a wife, mother and daughter of parents in their 80s, I feel great responsibility to be informed, talk with our doctors and ensure the whole family is up to date on vaccinations, particularly given how easily COVID spread through our households last year," said Nicole Ari Parker. "I hope that others will join me in choosing to protect ourselves and our loved ones this season so that we can all feel protected as we go to work, spend time with family and friends, and go about our everyday lives."

To inform the campaign, Novavax, in partnership with HealthyWomen, commissioned a survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, among vaccinated U.S. adults aged 45+ who play a key role in household healthcare decisions to better understand perceptions about and attitudes toward COVID vaccination, as well as potential motivations to take action on education gaps concerning COVID vaccines. While COVID vaccine fatigue has been widely reported,³ adults aged 45+ still recognize the value of vaccines.¹ In addition, 85% of respondents say it's important to have a range of options for themselves and their family for COVID vaccines.¹

"Women are often the chief medical officers of their families, especially those in the 'sandwich generation' who are caregiving and making healthcare decisions for their children and elderly parents," said Beth Battaglino, RN-C, Chief Executive Officer, HealthyWomen. "COVID made that role much more difficult, but what made it easier was having access to COVID vaccines that have been well tested and are safe and effective at protecting our loved ones from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized or possibly even dying. The updated vaccines can also help protect against new and emerging variants."

"COVID vaccine fatigue remains a major obstacle in maintaining immunity and keeping vaccination rates high," said Silvia Taylor, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs and Advocacy Officer, Novavax. "Together with our partners, we encourage people to recognize the importance of making a plan to help protect their loved ones this season and have conversations with their healthcare provider about available vaccine options."

Key results from the Choose to Protect survey include:

While COVID vaccine fatigue has been widely reported,³ adults aged 45+ still recognize the value of vaccines.

• 82% of adults said vaccines are absolutely essential or very important for maintaining health, and three quarters said vaccines are absolutely essential or very important for their ability to spend time with family.¹
• The top three reasons people are motivated to get vaccinated are because of new variants, increasing COVID cases or from wanting to have a less severe case if they get COVID.¹

A significant portion of adults feel a duty to get the COVID vaccine for their loved ones and the betterment of society as a whole.

• 86% agree that knowing their loved ones are vaccinated against COVID puts them at ease.¹
• 83% agree that helping to protect high-risk people in our society is a key reason why they choose COVID vaccination for themselves / their family.¹

Even though there is interest in learning more about vaccines, there are still gaps in knowledge.

• 85% agree it is important to have a range of COVID vaccine options for themselves and their family.¹
• Only approximately two in five say they are highly knowledgeable about the science behind how different types of vaccines help to protect against COVID.¹

"Vaccination remains a critical tool to help protect against COVID, especially for the elderly, and those with chronic conditions associated with severe outcomes from COVID," said Dr. Jose Torradas, Emergency Medicine Physician. "Make a plan to discuss vaccine options with your healthcare provider, and check if you're eligible to get other vaccines, like the flu shot, at the same time."

To learn more about COVID vaccination and the options available, visit www.ChoosetoProtect.com.

About the Choose to Protect™ Survey

The Choose to Protect™ survey was conducted online in the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Novavax and HealthyWomen. The survey was conducted September 7-14, 2023, among 1,005 adults aged 45+ who play a substantial role in healthcare decisions for their household and have received at least the primary COVID vaccine series. Data were weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income and propensity to be online to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.  

The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 4.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. All sample surveys and polls, whether they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including, but not limited to coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.

About Novavax 

Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) promotes improved health by discovering, developing and commercializing innovative vaccines to help protect against serious infectious diseases. Novavax, a global company based in Gaithersburg, Md., U.S., offers a differentiated vaccine platform that combines a recombinant protein approach, innovative nanoparticle technology and Novavax's patented Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance the immune response. Focused on the world's most urgent health challenges, Novavax is currently evaluating vaccines for COVID-19, influenza, and COVID-19 and influenza combined. Please visit novavax.com and LinkedIn for more information.

About HealthyWomen

HealthyWomen is dedicated to educating women ages 35 to 64 to make informed health decisions, to advocate for themselves, and to prioritize their health and wellness. Their website was the first to comprehensively address women's health and wellness issues and continues to educate women to make informed health decisions by providing objective, fact-based information. For more than 30 years, women have turned to HealthyWomen for answers to their most important healthcare questions. To learn more, please visit www.HealthyWomen.org. Follow HealthyWomen on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Contacts: 
Investors
Erika Schultz
240-268-2022
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Media 
Ali Chartan 
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References

¹ Novavax and The Harris Poll Survey Findings. Initial Survey Highlights. Field Period: September 7-14, 2023.
² Ahmad FB, Cisewski JA, Xu J, Anderson RN. Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72:488–492. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7218a3.
³ Stamm TA, Partheymüller J, Mosor E, et al. Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine fatigue. Nat Med. 2023;29(5):1164-1171. doi:10.1038/s41591-023-02282-y.