The announcement sets the stage for approval of on a new and easier-to-use shot to help tame the pandemic.
Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine appears safe and effective, particularly against severe disease, though questions remain about how well it works in older people, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. The vaccine is 66 percent effective against overall Covid-19 illness but less effective against B.1.351, the strain first found in South Africa. The agency laid out data in briefing documents posted ahead of a Feb.25 meeting of an independent advisory panel of vaccine experts that will discuss whether the vaccine should be authorized for people 18 and older. The shot proved especially effective at preventing severe disease and death.
