UK authorises use of J&J vaccine as virus cases edge up

LONDON (AP) — British government regulators on Friday authorised another coronavirus vaccine for use in the UK amid concerns about rising COVID-19 cases as a variant of the virus first identified in India spreads around the country.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the single-dose vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson met “the expected standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness.”

The authorisation takes the number of vaccines in the UK's armoury to four following earlier approvals for the two-dose regimens developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and the University of Oxford, and Moderna.

The regulator said the vaccine developed by J&J subsidiary Janssen has been shown to be 67% effective overall in preventing COVID-19 infection and 85% effective in preventing severe disease or hospitalisation.

It can be stored at refrigerator temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 47 F), which the regulator said makes it “ideal for distribution to care homes and other locations.”

Details of which groups will get the vaccine have yet to be determined.

There was speculation it might only be administered to older adults after it was linked to reports of rare blood clots.

Given the UK's rapid rollout of vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson's product may be used as part of the country's planned booster program in the fall.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which decides how vaccines are rolled out across the UK, will submit updated advice before the shots become available.

The British government has amended its order from last year of 30 million J&J doses to 20 million.

“As Janssen is a single-dose vaccine, it will play an important role in the months to come as we redouble our efforts to encourage everyone to get their jabs and potentially begin a booster program later this year,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

Nearly 58% of the population has received at least one dose and around 35% has gotten two shots.

The UK is aiming to have offered a jab to all adults by the end of July.

The UK has seen a modest uptick in new cases in recent days as a result of the variant identified in India, which is considered to be more transmissible than the previously dominant strain of the virus.

On Thursday, the country reported 3,542 new confirmed cases, its highest daily total since April 12.

The number of cases remains well below the close to 70,000 recorded in mid-January, during the peak of the second wave.

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