India has given emergency approval to Johnson and Johnson's single-shot coronavirus vaccine Saturday to ramp up its flailing immunization campaign as fears grow of a new wave of infections, making it the fifth vaccine and the second foreign-made shot to be cleared for use in the country.
Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the approval will boost the fight against the pandemic in India, where at least 200,000 people died in a brutal two-month wave up to mid-June.
“India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India,” the minister said on Twitter.
The pharmaceutical company, however, said it was too early to give a delivery timeline for the vaccine. It said earlier on Friday that it applied for emergency use approval. The vaccine will be brought to India through a supply agreement with homegrown vaccine maker Biological E Ltd, J&J has said.
The J&J vaccine, which has shown 66-72% efficacy in different trials, has been approved by regulators in the US, UK, Europe, and the World Health Organization.
Apart from the J&J vaccine, the four other Covid-19 shots approved for emergency use in India are Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, the Russian-made Sputnik V, and the Moderna vaccine.
Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the approval will boost the fight against the pandemic in India, where at least 200,000 people died in a brutal two-month wave up to mid-June.
“India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India,” the minister said on Twitter.
The pharmaceutical company, however, said it was too early to give a delivery timeline for the vaccine. It said earlier on Friday that it applied for emergency use approval. The vaccine will be brought to India through a supply agreement with homegrown vaccine maker Biological E Ltd, J&J has said.
The J&J vaccine, which has shown 66-72% efficacy in different trials, has been approved by regulators in the US, UK, Europe, and the World Health Organization.
Apart from the J&J vaccine, the four other Covid-19 shots approved for emergency use in India are Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, the Russian-made Sputnik V, and the Moderna vaccine.
