New jag for millennials

Young people could receive a single-dose vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson from July in a bid to speed up the UK’s immunisation programme.

Ministers hope the one-shot vaccine, produced by J&J subsidiary Janssen, can be used to roll out “jab and go” plans for millennials. The Janssen jag has yet to receive approval from the UK’s medicines regulator.

Unlike jags produced by AstraZeneca and Pfizer/ BioNTech, patients receiving this new jag will not need a booster. Ministers are understood to hope the jag will be attractive to young people hoping to go abroad this summer.

Meanwhile, France yesterday began its third lockdown amid spiralling cases as President Macron stressed the need for a faster vaccination rate.