South African officials announced plans to begin distributing Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. The decision came after South Africa suspended the distribution of AstraZeneca’s vaccine (following a study that showed it may not be effective against the new strain that accounts for ~90% of cases in the country). While J&J’s vaccine has not yet received regulatory approval, the company previously announced that it was 57% effective in South Africa during late-stage clinical trials (source).
Extra: J&J also requested emergency use authorization for its vaccine in the US last week. The vaccine notably uses a single dose, compared to vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that require two doses.
The New Paper
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