BOSTON (CBS) --The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Vaccine Advisory Board voted unanimously Sunday to greenlight Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. The committee met via Zoom to review evidence about the safety and efficacy of the new one-dose shot. After the review, the advisory panel formally recommended the use of the vaccine in adults, 18 years of age or older.
Dr. Dan Barouch of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston was part of the team that developed this vaccine. He told WBZ-TV what it will mean for the state's vaccination effort.
"Several features of this vaccine make it particularly good for mass vaccination campaigns. One is that it is a single-shot vaccine so it's once and done, so it's a much simpler administration than a two-shot vaccine. Secondly, it doesn't need to be frozen, so it doesn't need sub-zero freezing. So we think that those practical elements and logistic advantages will facilitate rapid rollout of this vaccine," said Barouch.
Johnson & Johnson currently has four million doses ready to go. The company plans to have 20 million more made by the end of March and 100 million by the end of June.