FDA Approves Johnson & Johnson's Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine

SAN ANGELO, TX – The fight against the coronavirus continues and on Saturday, February 27th, the FDA announced an Emergency Use Authorization for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19. This vaccine would be the first single-dose vaccine to be available in the U.S.

“This milestone follows a year of incredible work by our dedicated teams and unprecedented collaboration with health leaders around the world – all of whom shared a goal of bringing a single-shot vaccine to the public,” said Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Johnson & Johnson. “We will do everything we can to help bring this pandemic to an end, in the United States, and throughout the world.”

According to Johnson & Johnson, the clinical trials show the vaccine is 85 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 related hospitalization and death 28 days after vaccination.

The company announced it has begun shipping the vaccine and is expected to deliver enough doses to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of March.

The initial plan is to deliver 100 million doses during the first half of 2021. The vaccine will be administered to adults 18 and over.

“We believe the Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine is a critical tool for fighting this global pandemic, particularly as it shows protection across countries with different variants. A vaccine that protects against COVID-19, especially against the most dire outcomes of hospitalization and death, will help ease the burden on people and the strain on health systems worldwide,” said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson. “We look forward to our continued efforts around the world as we collectively aim to change the trajectory of this global pandemic.”