A government advisory committee is likely to give a thumbs up Friday to a third COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way to increased supply of the much-in-demand vaccines.
The new vaccine, from drug maker Johnson & Johnson, offers a few advantages over the two that have been administered to 45 million Americans since mid-December, although it may be somewhat less effective.
The J&J vaccine requires only one shot; the others, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, need two. It can be kept refrigerated rather than frozen for longer, making it easier to distribute through doctors' offices and rural outposts. And it may cause fewer side effects.
The advisory panel, called the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, is likely at the end of an all-day meeting to recommend the shot for use in adults. An emergency use authorization from the acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration is anticipated to follow within days.
Most people will not have a say in which vaccine they get. Allocation decisions are made by individual states, which have generally provided only one type of vaccine at a time to each vaccination centre.
Public health officials say it doesn't matter which vaccine someone receives.
A third vaccine is "nothing but good news," Anthony Fauci, America's top infectious disease doctor, told NBC's "Today" show early Thursday. "To have two is fine. To have three is absolutely better.”