Johnson & Johnson has applied for emergency use authorization for its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, the Department of Health said Monday.
The J&J jab called Janssen has an overall efficacy of 66.3% and is touted as a game-changer because it doesn't require two doses, unlike most jabs.
Should the Food and Drug Administration approve J&J's application, it will be the fifth to secure an EUA after vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Gamaleya.
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The Philippines has administered roughly 300,000 vaccine doses of Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines, according to data from the World Health Organization. It plans to vaccinate up to 70 million of its 120 million people this year, but global supply is running short as most jabs have been acquired by rich countries.
Citing this problem, World Health Organization Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabi Abeyasinghe also said Monday that the 920,000 doses of Astrazeneca vaccines that were set to arrive in the Philippines last March 24 have been delayed.
A reduced quantity are expected to come over the next few weeks, he said.
Some 24 million people in Metro Manila, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan are under a fresh lockdown or ECQ to arrest a surge in infections that has overwhelmed hospitals.
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