Pfizer's and Moderna's formulas have been the go-to on pharmacy shelves, but Novavax remains an important option.

On Aug. 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of a new Novavax COVID vaccine, as well as updated versions of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. According to NPR, this latest vaccine is already being distributed and administered across the country.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for an updated version of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine amid the summer surge of infections. The new version of the vaccine “more closely targets” variants circulating nationwide,

Health Canada authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus on Thursday. The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, targets the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron, replacing the previous version which targeted the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant, the agency said in an online update.