The United States regulators have officially approved Johnson & Johnson's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, and this is the third vaccine authorized in the country.
FDA approves Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
The vaccine is a cost-effective alternative developed by Moderna and Pfizer, and it can be stored in a refrigerator instead of a freezer.
The results of the trials showed that the vaccine prevented illness. However, it was 66% effective at the time when moderate cases of coronavirus were included. The vaccine was developed by Janssen, a medical firm in Belgium.
The company has agreed to give the US 100 million doses by June, and the first doses could be available to the Americans as early as next week.
The U.K., the E.U., and Canada have also ordered doses from the company, and around 500 million doses have been ordered through the Covax scheme to supply third world countries.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced the news for all Americans, and it is a great and encouraging development. However, he warned that the fight is still not over. He urged all Americans to wash their hands, social distance, wear masks and follow all protocols released by the CDC.
President Biden added that cases may still worsen due to the new variants that are spreading, and the current improvement could reverse.
The authorization of the vaccine by the US Food and Drug Administration or the FDA came after an external committee of experts had backed the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Feb. 26.
The results from the trials done in the U.S., Brazil, and South Africa showed that the vaccine was more than 85% effective at preventing serious illness, and it was 66% effective when it comes to moderate cases.
There were no deaths recorded among participants who had gotten the vaccine, and there were no hospital admissions after 28 days post-vaccine.
Overall, the protection was lower in South Africa and Brazil, where the new COVID-19 variant has spread, but defense against severe or critical conditions is high.
South Africa started administering the unapproved Johnson & Johnson vaccine to healthcare workers as part of a study in February. It came after trials suggested that the vaccine offered minimal protection against mild disease from the variant that is dominant in most parts of the country.
The only other country to approve the vaccine for emergency use in Bahrain, and it was given the go signal on Feb. 25.
Since the vaccine will require fewer doses than Pfizer and Moderna's two-shot vaccines, it will also require fewer appointments and fewer medical staff to administer the shots, according to The New York Times.
How ordered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
The U.K. ordered 30 million doses, the E.U. ordered 200 million doses, Canada ordered 38 million doses, and Covax nations ordered 500 million doses to be distributed to third world countries, according to NBC News.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a common cold virus that has been studied and engineered so it would be harmless once it reaches the body. It carries part of the coronavirus's genetic code into the human body, making it enough for the body to recognize the threat and fight the virus.
Through this, it trains the immune system to fight the coronavirus when it encounters the real virus in the environment.
Related Article: Johnson & Johnson's One-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine Is Effective in Providing Protection From Contagious Variants, New Analyses Show
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Written by Sieeka Khan
