U.S pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has requested the EU’s approval for its single-shot vaccine against COVID-19, the EU’s drug regulator confirmed today.

The pharma-company claims its vaccine is 85% effective at preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms and death.

A decision could be made by mid-March if the vaccine is proven to be safe and effective, the European Medicines Agency said.

If approved, it would be the fourth jab to be given a green light for use in the European bloc, alongside ones by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Another two are under review by the EMA, one by German company CureVac and US biotech firm Novavax.

Around 200 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been ordered by the EU, with an option to secure 200 million more. With imminent delays from already approved vaccines, the pressure is on to approve more jabs to speed up inoculation programmes.

The EU Commission said 100 million doses could be delivered in the bloc by June if the EMA approves it.

South Africa is set to be the first country to administer Johnson & Johnson’s jab this week, while the U.S is set to rule on it later this month.

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