UK approves single shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine

THE UK has approved a single-dose coronavirus vaccine from Johnson & Johnson for use.

  The vaccine developed in the US by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen, has been cleared for safe use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

  Health secretary Matt Hancock said, ‘This is a further boost to the UK’s hugely successful vaccination programme, which has already saved over 13,000 lives, and means that we now have four safe and effective vaccines approved to help protect people from this awful virus.

  ‘As Janssen is a single-dose vaccine, it will play an important role in the months to come as we redouble our efforts to encourage everyone to get their jabs and potentially begin a booster programme later this year.’

 Four vaccines have now been approved for use in the UK, with the others developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna.

  The country has secured 20 million doses of the Janssen vaccine, which is 67% effective against preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19.

  Studies suggest it also offers complete protection from hospitalisation and death.

  It is thought the MHRA was cautious about early approval of the vaccine following concerns in the US about a link to extremely rare blood clots.

  There were eight cases of blood clots in more than seven million people vaccinated in the US, and they are similar to those seen in a very small number of people having the Oxford AstraZeneca jab.

  But the Independent Commission on Human Medicines reviewed and endorsed the MHRA’s decision.

  Instead the European Medicines Agency said a warning about unusual blood clots with low blood platelet count should be added to the jab’s product information.

  The news comes after reports the Government is pushing to administer up to 1 million COVID-19 vaccines a day in the lead up to summer.