Head-to-Head: which COVID booster works better?
NCT ID NCT06065176
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested how well two different 2023-2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines (Novavax and Pfizer mRNA) protect adults from getting sick with COVID-19. About 1,200 adults who had already received at least two mRNA vaccine doses were randomly assigned to get either the Novavax or Pfizer booster, or no booster. Participants reported symptoms and took weekly COVID-19 tests for 20 weeks. The goal was to see which vaccine prevents symptomatic infections better and whether getting an updated booster is better than not getting one.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Novavax COVID-19 vaccine (2023-2024 formula) and Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (2023-2024 formula)
- What this could lead to
- If this trial succeeds, it could show which updated COVID-19 vaccine offers better protection against symptomatic illness, helping guide future booster recommendations.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed Phase 4 trial with 1,188 participants, so results are available but may not apply to everyone. Differences between vaccines might be small or not statistically significant.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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1,188 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Finished
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Sep 2024
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥18 years * Previously received ≥ 2-doses of US FDA-authorized mRNA vaccines * Comfortable reading and responding to text messages and emails sent in English or having an interpreter assist them * Plan to remain in the greater Salt Lake City area for the next 12 months * Daily access to the internet (via cell phone, laptop, desktop, or tablet) and a phone with text messaging capabilities * Willingness to complete weekly symptom and illness surveillance surveys sent via text and email * Willingness to complete an online survey at enrollment, mid-study, and end-of-study surveys * Willingness to be contacted periodically by study staff via text, email, and/or telephone as part of study activities * Willingness to self-collect rapid antigen tests (RAT; approved by FDA EUA for COVID-19 detection) weekly and when prompted for study purposes, and to send results via the study portal * Willingness to self-collect additional rapid antigen test (approved by FDA EUA for COVID-19 detection) if experiencing a qualifying symptomatic illness or upon RAT-confirmation of an asymptomatic infection * Willingness to attend in-person visit to receive supply of rapid antigen tests and training on their use (all participants) and to receive a COVID-19 booster (if in randomized group) Exclusion Criteria: * Lives with another person who is already enrolled in this study as reported by the subject on the Eligibility Survey (Appendix C. Eligibility Survey) * Previous hypersensitivity reaction to the study vaccines as reported by the subject on the Eligibility Survey (Appendix C. Eligibility Survey) * Recent infection \[Real time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction assay (RT-PCR) and/or RAT confirmed infection ≤ 90 days of trial vaccine administration * Receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine within ≤ 90 days of trial vaccine administration * Participation in other vaccine trials * Medical history of immunosuppression * Receipt of J\&J vaccine prior to study enrollment * Receipt of any investigational prevention therapies for SARS-CoV-2 infections, such as prophylactic antiviral medications or other immune system modifying interventions within ≤ 90 days of trial vaccine administration * Unwillingness to provide electronic consent * Unwillingness to self-report occupation, work responsibilities, and prior COVID-19 illness.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Utah School of Medicine
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108, United States
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