(Photo: AP-Yonhap News)
Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have voted overwhelmingly to recommend the new one-dose COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson as a third option to bolster the United States' effort against the coronavirus pandemic.
The panel on Sunday endorsed the vaccine for adults 18 years old and up, after it recevied emergency clearance by U.S. regulators a day earlier.
Panel members emphasized that all three vaccines now available, including the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, are highly protective against the worst effects of the virus such as hospitalization and death.
The White House announced that nearly 4 million doses of the newest vaccine will be shipped Sunday night, and will begin to be delivered to states for injections starting on Tuesday.
J&J plans to ship several million vaccine doses to states in the coming week, delivering a total of 20 million shots by the end of March, and a 100 million total by the end of June.
Though the new shot is easier to administer and requires only one dose, the administration and other officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, have encouraged Americans to take the first dose available to them, regardless of manufacturer.
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