A coronavirus vaccine developed by the US firm Novavax has been shown to be 89 per cent effective in preventing covid-19 in clinical trials.

The vaccine is made from nanoparticles containing spike proteins from the virus, which are produced by genetically modified insect cells. The nanoparticles cannot replicate or cause covid-19, but they enable the body’s immune system to recognise the viral proteins and make antibodies against them.

The vaccine is given as two doses, but unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine , …