Millennials to receive ‘jab and go’ Covid vaccine from July
Millennials could receive a single-dose vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson from July in a bid to speed up the UK’s immunisation programme, according to reports.
Ministers hope the one-shot vaccine, produced by J&J subsidiary Janssen, can be used to roll out “jab and go” plans for young adults, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The Janssen jab is under review but has not yet received emergency approval by the UK’s medicines regulator.
Britain has ordered 30m doses of the vaccine, which functions in a similar way to Astrazeneca’s Covid jab.
The single-shot vaccine was approved in the US in February and by the EU in March after trials found it was 67 per cent effective at preventing Covid-19 infection and 100 per cent effective at preventing hospital admissions and death from the virus.
If approved, the drug will serve as a major boost to the UK’s vaccination plans. Unlike with other vaccines including those produced by Astrazeneca and Pfizer/Biontech, patients who receive the J&J jab will not need a booster shot.
Ministers are understood to be hopeful that the Janssen jab will be attractive to young people keen to trip abroad this summer.
More than 60 per cent of adults in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine, including all top four priority groups.
Boris Johnson has insisted the government is on track to offer a first dose to all over-50s by 15 April and all adults in Britain by 31 July despite supply hiccups.
The Moderna vaccine, which was approved for use on 7 January, is expected to be rolled out in the UK later this month.