US authorises J&J’s single-shot vaccine
WASHINGTON: The United States on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine for emergency use, giving the nation a third shot to battle the outbreak that has killed more than 500,000 Americans.
The single-shot vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19, including against newer variants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said before giving it a green light.
“This is exciting news for all Americans, and an encouraging development in our efforts to bring an end to the crisis,” US President Joe Biden said.
A third vaccine is seen as a vital means to ramp up the immunisation rate in the US.
In large clinical trials, the J&J vaccine’s efficacy against severe disease was 85.9% in the United States, 81.7% in South Africa, and 87.6% in Brazil.
Meanwhile, a year after New Zealand recorded its first coronavirus case, the city of Auckland woke on Sunday to a second lockdown this month.
WASHINGTON/ BEIJING: The US government on Saturday authorised Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine, enabling millions more Americans to be vaccinated in the coming weeks and setting the vaccine up for additional approvals around the world.
The J&J vaccine is the third authorised in the United States, following ones from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, both of which require two doses.
The US Food and Drug Administration announced the emergency use authorisation of the J&J vaccine for adults aged 18 and older following Friday’s unanimous endorsement by the agency’s panel of outside experts. Shipments to vaccination sites are expected to begin Sunday or Monday.
President Joe Biden hailed the move but cautioned Americans against celebrating too soon.
“Things are still likely to get worse again as new variants spread,” he said in a statement, urging people to continue washing their hands, wearing masks, and maintaining social distancing. “There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot let our guard down now or assume that victory is inevitable,” he said.
New Zealand’s Auckland starts fresh lockdown
Exactly a year after New Zealand recorded its first coronavirus case, the biggest city of Auckland woke on Sunday to a second lockdown this month.
The seven-day lockdown, announced late on Saturday by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, was prompted by the case of a person who had been infectious for a week but not in isolation.
China rolls out locally made single-dose vaccine
China has given conditional market approval to the country’s first one-shot Covid-19 vaccine, state media reported, adding 500 million can be inoculated in a year. The vaccine was jointly developed by Cansino Biologics, a Tianjin-based private company, and the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences.
“The Chinese National Medical Products Administration granted conditional market approval to a recombinant novel coronavirus vaccine that requires only one shot,” official Xinhua news agency reported.