Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine Gets Green Light From CDC

The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has approved Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) newly authorized COVID-19 vaccine for distribution. CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky gave the green light Sunday after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted in support of adults getting the one-dose vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized use of the vaccine on Saturday based on its 66 percent effectiveness at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 in a large study that also demonstrated its safety. Shortly after, J&J said it had started shipping shots of its vaccine for allocation and distribution by the federal government. The shots are expected to start reaching U.S. vaccine providers in the coming days, with vaccinations to soon follow. The addition of the J&J vaccine to the previously FDA-cleared shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna should accelerate the mass vaccination campaign to bring the pandemic under control. J&J expects to distribute about 4 million doses immediately, and deliver another 16 million by the end of March, with 100 million doses shipped in total by the end of July.