Manama: The National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) of the Kingdom stated that the decision to approve the J& vaccine was based on an in-depth study conducted on all documents submitted by the company, which included the results of the clinical trials.
The vaccine was for groups at greater risk of developing complications from COVID-19, including the elderly and people with chronic diseases, NHRA said.
The vaccine provides a great protection against serious infection with COVID-19, the statement added.
Johnson and Johnson vaccine is the fifth COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for emergency use in Bahrain, following Chinese Sinopharm, the American Pfizer/BioNTech, British Oxford-AstraZeneca-Covishield, and the Russian Sputnik V. Bahrain offers vaccines free of charge to citizen and residents aged 18 years and above with an option to choose which vaccine they wish to receive.
The J&J vaccine is the world’s first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, making it an easier-to-use option. The company aims to produce around a billion doses by the end of the year worldwide.
Bahrain has one of the fastest vaccination rates in the world, with mealy 17% of the population having received at least one dose.
