WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (KUNA) -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Saturday evening Johnson & Johnsonآ’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine.
The FDA announced in a statement that it has issued "an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the third vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
"The EUA allows the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the US for use in individuals 18 years of age and older," it added.
In this regard, Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said "the FDA, through our open and transparent scientific review process, has now authorized three COVID-19 vaccines with the urgency called for during this pandemic, using the agencyآ’s rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization." For his part, President Joe Biden said in a statement "this is exciting news for all Americans, and an encouraging development in our efforts to bring an end to the crisis.
"We know that the more people get vaccinated, the faster we will overcome the virus, get back to our friends and loved ones, and get our economy back on track," he added.
"I want to be clear: this fight is far from over," he warned. "As I have said many times, things are still likely to get worse again as new variants spread, and the current improvement could reverse.
"There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot let our guard down now or assume that victory is inevitable. We must continue to remain vigilant, act fast and aggressively," he stressed.
The FDA had already approved vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. (end) si.bs