The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the United States, Reuters reported.
In his efforts to curb the pandemic, Joe Biden has rolled out the national vaccination programme. It aims to deliver 100 million doses of two-stage COVUD-19 vaccines in Biden’s first 100 days in Oval Office.
While the US is facing the next wave of coronavirus pandemic, the third COVID-19 vaccine has received the green light from the FDA. On Saturday, the regulator has authorized the drug for emergency use in the US.
J&J vaccine is the first one developed by American drugmaker Pfizer in partnership with German company BioNTech, and the second one developed by American drugmaker Moderna. It is also the first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine available in the country.
The totality of the available data provides clear evidence that the vaccine may be effective in preventing COVID-19, the FDA said in a statement.
The research shows that the known and potential benefits of J&J vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks.
“The authorization of this vaccine expands the availability of vaccines, the best medical prevention method for COVID-19, to help us in the fight against this pandemic, which has claimed over half a million lives in the United States,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock.
On Saturday, over 96 million vaccine doses have been distributed across the US, and more than 72 million doses have been administered, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s data shows.
