London, May 28: The United Kingdom today approved single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical arm Janssen, for use in the country. It is the fourth COVID-19 vaccine that has received approval, also the first single-dose jab authorised in Britain. The country has ordered 20 million doses of the vaccine. Earlier, COVID-19 vaccines of Pfizer, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna have received approval in the UK. Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine by Johnson & Johnson Suspended by Belgium for People Under 41 Years of Age.

"This is a further boost to the UK's hugely successful vaccination programme, which has already saved over 13,000 lives, and means that we now have four safe and effective vaccines approved to help protect people from this awful virus," UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement. Britain has administered more than 62 million shots so far. Boris Johnson Defends Coronavirus Record After Ex-Aide's Attack.

"As Janssen is a single-dose vaccine, it will play an important role in the months to come as we redouble our efforts to encourage everyone to get their jabs and potentially begin a booster programme later this year," Hancock added.

UK Approves Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 Vaccine:

The United States approved Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the United States in late February. However, in the second week of April, the US paused its use after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals following administration of the vaccine. The pause was lifted on April 25.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 28, 2021 06:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).