The United States has started distributing four million doses of the Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine across the country.
The move comes after US health authorities approved its emergency use authorization last week.
The single-shot vaccine — the third brand of vaccine to be authorised — is highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19, including against newer variants, according to the USA’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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“Starting tonight, 3.9 million doses of J&J will be distributed across all channels — states, tribes, territories, and pharmacies and community health centers. Those J&J doses will be delivered as early as this Tuesday morning,” the US government said in a press briefing.
“That’s the entirety of J&J’s current inventory,” the official added. “J&J expects to deliver approximately 16 million additional doses by the end of March. So that’s a cumulative 20 million,” the statement added.
In a report on the National, some 65 million Americans have been vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna both requiring two doses to be effective.
Meantime, the J&J vaccine requires just one dose, and is stored at fridge temperatures, offering logistical and practical advantages.
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The J&J efficacy rate is at 85.9% in the US, 81.7% in South Africa, and 87.6% in Brazil.
Around 39,321 participants across all regions participated in its large-scale clinical trials.
J&J announced that it will be delivering 20 more doses of its COVID-19 vaccines in March and another 100 million doses in June to the U.S. (TDT)
