New coronavirus vaccine approved in the US

The Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine has received official approval from US regulators, making it the third type of vaccine available in the country.

The approval came a day after a committee of independent experts recommended the vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The approval is an additional boost to US vaccination efforts, which are accelerating after a slow rollout. Around 47.2 million people have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.

Johnson & Johnson announced that 20 million doses will be delivered to the US by the end of March. The company plans to deliver 100 million doses during the first half of 2021.

The doses can be stored in a standard refrigerator, unlike the extremely cold conditions required for the other two vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.

A global clinical trial showed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is 66 percent effective in preventing various strains of the coronavirus. It had 85 percent efficacy in protecting against severe cases.

The pharmaceutical company submitted a request for approval of its Covid-19 vaccine in the European Union in mid-February, with a decision expected in March. This single-dose vaccine will be the fourth approved in the EU if it receives the green light from the Amsterdam-based agency.