Bahrain becomes first nation to grant Johnson&Johnson’s COVID-19 shot for emergency use

Bahrain became the first nation to authorize Johnson & Johnsons new single-dose coronavirus vaccine for emergency use on Thursday, the government announced, just a day after US regulators concluded the shot offers strong protection against severe COVID-19.

The island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia said it would dole out J&Js shot to the most vulnerable people, including older adults and those with chronic conditions, without specifying when. It was also unclear when doses would be delivered to the country, which already offers vaccines by state-backed Chinese firm Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNtech and Oxford-AstraZeneca, as well as Russia’s Sputnik V to its roughly 2 million residents.

The move makes Bahrain’s health regulatory authority the first in the world to authorize the J&J vaccine for general use. In addition to the US, European regulators and the World Health Organization also are considering J&Js vaccine. Worldwide, the company aims to produce around a billion doses by the end of the year.

Meriam Adhbi al-Jalahma, chief of Bahrain’s regulatory body, said authorities had conducted an in-depth study on “all documents submitted by the company, which included the results of the clinical trials.”

The vaccine provides great protection against serious infection with COVID-19, the statement added.

The long-anticipated J&J shot promises to offer the US a third vaccine option and help speed vaccinations by requiring just one dose instead of two. Food and Drug Administration scientists confirmed that overall the vaccine is about 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, and about 85% effective against the most serious illness. The agency also said J&Js shot is safe.