WHO: Johnson & Johnson vaccine gets emergency use listing 

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday issued emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for the one-shot dose to be used as part of the WHO-led international vaccine distribution effort.

The green light from WHO, which comes a day after the European Medical Agency approved the shot, means countries that receive vaccine through Covax will also get the vaccine.

J&J’s vaccine provides fewer logistical hurdles than other shots given that it requires just one dose instead of two and does not need to be stored in ultra-cold temperatures.

“Every new, safe and effective tool against COVID-19 is another step closer to controlling the pandemic,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “But the hope offered by these tools will not materialize unless they are made available to all people in all countries.

“I urge governments and companies to live up to their commitments and to use all solutions at their disposal to ramp up production so that these tools become truly global public goods, available and affordable to all, and a shared solution to the global crisis,” he added.