FDA authorizes Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine, doses expected to start rolling next week

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized a third COVID-19 vaccine for public use.

As expected on Saturday, FDA granted an emergency use authorization for a vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company.

About 4 million doses of the new vaccine should be made available next week, 20 million total during March, and another 80 million by the end of June. Because the vaccine requires only one dose, it will help protect 100 million people and take effect more rapidly than the two-dose vaccines.

The J&J vaccine joins two others: one from Pfizer-BioNTech and the other from Moderna, which have been given to nearly 50 million Americans since they were authorized in December.

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An FDA advisory committee voted Friday to support J&J's vaccine, finding that its benefits far outweighed its risks.

FDA acting commissioner Janet Woodcock agreed.

“The authorization of this vaccine expands the availability of vaccines, the best medical prevention method for COVID-19, to help us in the fight against this pandemic, which has claimed over half a million lives in the United States,” Woodcock said in a statement. “The FDA, through our open and transparent scientific review process, has now authorized three COVID-19 vaccines with the urgency called for during this pandemic, using the agency’s rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization.”

President Joe Biden in a statement said Saturday's authorization means "there's a light at the end of the tunnel" but again stressed the importance of mitigation measures like hand washing and social distancing.

"We know that the more people get vaccinated, the faster we will overcome the virus, get back to our friends and loved ones, and get our economy back on track," he said.

He added: "This fight is far from over. Though we celebrate today’s news, I urge all Americans — keep washing your hands, stay socially distanced, and keep wearing masks. As I have said many times, things are still likely to get worse again as new variants spread, and the current improvement could reverse."

Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, applauded the FDA's decision but cautioned against complacency.

"With three COVID-19 vaccines now available, the number of cases and deaths around the country continuing to fall, and Congress taking steps toward approving additional critically needed economic relief, I have never been more encouraged that we might be finally turning the corner on this pandemic," he said in a statement.