The first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine could get emergency approval in just two weeks, Dr. Anthony Fauci finally said Friday.
“I’d be surprised if the data is analyzed and decisions made in two weeks’ time,” said the New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson-developed vaccine, Fauci said during an appearance on “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
“We’ll look at the data and determine if it can already be given to the public,” Fauci said, “so they can go to the FDA to ask if they can get an emergency use authorization.”
Fauci said the U.S. government was working with different companies on six vaccine candidates, two of whom have already obtained approval to use them in emergencies, one from Pfizer and the other from Moderna. Both require cold storage and two doses.
Fauci said the J&J vaccine does not have the same need to stay cold, and only requires one dose. These factors will make a big difference in the ability to get shots at people, he said. “It gives a wider range of flexibility,” he said.
Johnson & Johnson has said it expects to have 100 million doses available by April.
Any additional vaccine that is available will be a boost for the city and state, which run out of doses as New Yorkers fight for vaccination appointments. Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote a letter Friday to President Joe Biden calling for more vaccine shipments.