WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States on Saturday
authorized Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine for emergency use, giving the nation a third shot to battle the outbreak that has killed more than 500,000 Americans.
The single-shot vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19,
including against newer variants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said before giving it a green light.
“This is exciting news for all Americans, and an encouraging development in our efforts to bring an end to the crisis,” US President Joe Biden said in a
statement.
But he urged Americans to remain vigilant with anti-virus curbs such as
social distancing, warning that new variants of the virus still posed a
threat.
“But we cannot let our guard down now or assume that victory is
inevitable,” he said.
A third vaccine is seen as a vital means to ramp up the immunization rate
in the United States, where more than 500,000 people have lost their lives to
the coronavirus.
In large clinical trials, the J&J vaccine’s efficacy against severe disease
was 85.9 percent in the United States, 81.7 percent in South Africa, and 87.6
percent in Brazil.
The J&J vaccine is the third to be greenlighted in the United States after
Pfizer’s and Moderna’s were provisionally approved in December.
Over 65 million people in America have so far received at least one shot of
either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines — but unlike those, the J&J vaccine
requires just one dose, and is stored at fridge temperatures, offering
logistical and practical advantages.
The J&J shot appears less protective than Pfizer and Moderna’s two-shot
regimens, which both have an efficacy of around 95 percent against all forms of Covid-19 from the classic coronavirus strain.
All three have been shown to fully protect against hospitalizations and
death, however.
The company has announced it aims to deliver 20 million doses by the end of March, with 100 million by June. — NNN-AGENCIES