The American drug company Johnson & Johnson announced Friday that it is now testing the effectiveness of its vaccine against the emerging coronavirus (Covid-19) – which has been approved for use in adults only – on young people in their teens.
The company said that the single-dose vaccine would first be tested on a small number of young people between the ages of 16 and 17 as part of a clinical trial that has been underway since last September.
After reviewing the initial data, the trial will gradually expand to include a larger group of younger teens from 12.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is already being administered in the United States and received European Union approval on March 11th.
The company said it is working on testing the vaccine on pregnant women and children shortly.
The vaccine, developed by Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen in the Netherlands, is given in a single dose to adults 18 years of age and older.
The Biotech / Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines’ full effect is not apparent until two doses of the vaccine have been administered.
