Bahrain first to approve Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use: regulator

Bahrain has approved Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the first country to do so, the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) said on Thursday.

>>Reuters
Published : 25 Feb 2021, 05:00 PM
Updated : 25 Feb 2021, 05:01 PM

The small Gulf state already offers citizens and residents free of charge four vaccines: the Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccine, one manufactured by Chinese state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and Russia's Sputnik V.

NHRA said the vaccine was for groups at greater risk of developing complications from COVID-19, including the elderly and people with chronic diseases.

"An in-depth study had been conducted on all documents submitted by the company, which included the results of the clinical trials conducted," NHRA CEO Mariam Al-Jalahma said.

The US Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday the Johnson & Johnson shot appeared safe and effective in trials, paving the way for its approval for emergency use in the United States as soon as this week.