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FDA Grants Emergency Approval To Single-Dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine

(Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

Dylan Housman Deputy News Editor
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine Saturday after successful trials.

The vaccine is the third approved to combat COVID-19 in the United States, but it’s the first that requires only one dose. The vaccine also only requires storage at refrigerated temperatures, not at freezing temperatures. (RELATED: Is Fauci Right? Is America The ‘Worst’ When It Comes To COVID-19?)

Dr. Richard Nettles, Johnson & Johnson’s vice president of U.S. medical affairs. previously said the company would be prepared to ship up to four million doses upon EUA. The FDA’s review of trial results found that the shot is up to 85% effective at preventing severe/critical COVID-19 cases. The regulator also reported no significant safety concerns.

The vaccine was not as strong at preventing sickness from the South African variant of the virus, although it still retained some level of efficacy. Johnson & Johnson is contracted to deliver 100 million doses by the end of June, and Nettles has said the company can produce as many as 20 million doses by the end of March. (RELATED: How Close Is Your State To ‘Herd Immunity’? We Have The Stats)

The United States has distributed nearly 100 million doses of the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, with almost 50 million people having received at least one dose.