Canada approves Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine
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It is the first single-dose Covid-19 vaccine to be authorised in the country, and has been cleared for use by people over 18 years of age.
Canada’s drug regulator has approved Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. This is the fourth such vaccine to be given the green light -- Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Inc vaccines in December, and AstraZeneca’s vaccine in February.
It is the first single-dose Covid-19 vaccine to be authorised in the country, and has been cleared for use by people over 18 years of age.
The official announcement will be made later on Friday.
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The vaccine is administered in a single dose and can be stored in normal fridges while the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots must be kept in freezers.
Ottawa has ordered up to 38 million doses, which can be stored at refrigerated temperatures from two to eight degrees Celsius (35-46 Fahrenheit), making distribution easier than some others.
So far, 4.2 per cent of the Canadian population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to volunteer-run tracking site COVID-19 Tracker Canada. In the United States, more than 16 per cent have received at least one dose.
Health officials are expected to announce in the coming weeks a decision on Novovax's vaccine candidate -- the only other one to have submitted an application for approval to date.
As of Friday, Canada has reported more than 878,000 cases of the coronavirus and over 22,000 fatalities.
