US FDA Clears Johnson & Johnson's Single-Dose COVID Vaccine; J&J To Produce A Billion Doses By End Of Year

In a major development, the United States (US)' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the world's first single-dosage COVID-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical major Johnson & Johnson (J&J), reports Economic Times.

Approving the vaccine for usage, FDA said that J&J's vaccine offers strong protection against serious illness, hospitalisation need and death. It noted that a single dosage was 85 per cent protective against the most severe COVID-19 illness as per the massive study conducted across three continents.

J&J is now looking to deliver 20 million doses of the vaccine to the US by end of March, with the figures likely to soar to 100 million by the summer. A few million of these shipments are likely to begin as early as tomorrow (Monday).

Overall, J&J plans to produce a billion doses of the vaccine for global supplies by the end of the year. It is also seeking authorisation for emergency use of its vaccine in Europe and from the World Health organisation (WHO).

It should be noted that Bahrain cleared the usage of J&J's vaccine before the US on Thursday (25 February) itself.