Johnson & Johnson requests emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine

Some positive news on the vaccine front: Johnson & Johnson on Thursday filed an application for emergency use authorization for its single-shot coronavirus vaccine, bringing it one step closer to helping the U.S. fight the virus.

The next step is for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to convene a meeting of its vaccine advisory panel to review the evidence, which could happen in as little as two weeks.

In a statement the company said it “expects to have product available to ship immediately following authorization,” but did not specify how much.

It still expects to meet its commitment of supplying 100 million doses by the middle of the year.

The Biden administration maintains it will be able to vaccinate 300 million people by the end of the summer just with supply from Pfizer and Moderna, so additional vaccines from J&J will likely help speed the process.