Johnson & Johnson applies for emergency approval for one-shot vaccine

Flags flap in the wind outside Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceutical, in Geel, Belgium, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. Picture: AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

Johnson & Johnson has asked US regulators to clear the world’s first single-dose coronavirus vaccine, an easier-to-use option that could boost scarce supplies.

Preliminary results from a massive study of 44,000 people in the US, Latin America and South Africa showed the jab was safe and offered strong protection against moderate to severe Covid-19.