Janssen jab over 60% effective

Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is 66% effective, international trials have shown.

If approved in the UK, the Janssen jab could be available as early as this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

Due to "encouraging" performance of the vaccine, the UK has ordered 30 million doses.

The US and Canada have also ordered several million doses of the vaccine.

The trial, which around 44,000 people took part in, found that none of the participants needed to go to hospital for treatment nor did the 468 cases of coronavirus, die.

While the Janssen jab would be easier to roll-out compared to other vaccines, as it is a single-dose vaccine and can be kept at the standard temperature of a normal fridge, it has been found to be only 57% effective against the new coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa.

Janssen, a Belgian company, will look into whether giving two doses of the vaccine will provide longer-lasting protection.

This comes as the Novavax jab was found to be 89% effective in the UK and 60% effective against the South African part of the trial.

So far, over 7.8 million people in the UK have had a dose of a coronavirus vaccine.