FDA gives emergency approval to Johnson & Johnson's first single-shot COVID vaccine

The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday announced it had approved the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use throughout the country. 

In a press release announcing the decision, the agency said it had "determined that the [vaccine] has met the statutory criteria" for an emergency authorization.

"After a thorough analysis of the data, the FDA’s scientists and physicians have determined that the vaccine meets the FDA’s expectations for safety and effectiveness appropriate for the authorization of a vaccine for emergency use,” Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the announcement. 

The vaccine become the third approved for use in the United States.