Johnson & Johnson single-dose Covid-19 vaccine approved for UK use
The medicines regulator has approved Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine for use, making it single-shot vaccine available in the UK.
The vaccine, developed by J&J’s pharmaceutical arm Janssen, has shown to be 67 per cent effective against moderate to severe Covid-19, according to reports.
The UK has order 20 million doses of the vaccine.
“As Janssen is a single-dose vaccine, it will play an important role in the months to come as we redouble our efforts to encourage everyone to get their jabs and potentially begin a booster programme later this year,” health secretary Matt Hancock said.
J&J’s vaccine is already approved in the United States and European Union, where reports of rare blood clots are being reviewed.
More than 38 million people in the UK have had a single dose of a coronavirus jab, while 24 million have had two doses, giving them maximum protection available from the other vaccines currently available in the UK.
The government said the shot would be available later in the year. There have been reports that J&J expects to miss its delivery targets for the European Union this quarter.