Some much-needed good news on the vaccine front.
The Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine is "safe and effective", according to findings from the US Food and Drug Administration (
FDA).
It found that the vaccine was 72% effective, and there were no Covid-related deaths in the vaccinated group.
14 days after receiving the injection, only two vaccine recipients developed Covid-19 severe enough to need medical intervention, compared with 14 in the placebo group.
The vaccine's effectiveness varied from 72% in the United States to 66% in Latin America and 57% in South Africa, where a new, more dangerous variant has spread, though the vaccine was 85% effective overall in stopping severe cases of the disease.
It was also found to be 66% effective in preventing multiple variants of the virus, including the South African and UK variants.
Three vaccine recipients had severe side effects in the trial, but the FDA said that its analysis did not raise "any specific safety concerns".
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected to decide on approval for the vaccine by the middle of March.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is different to those currently in use across Ireland and the rest of Europe, as only one shot is required.
Speaking on Tuesday night, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that 82% of Irish adults will have received their first vaccine dose by the end of June.
