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Washington, DC (77WABC)- The shelf life of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid19 vaccine has been extended by six weeks. The NJ-based drug manufacturer today announced it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to extend the shelf life of its one-dose vaccine. J and J’s full statement called be viewed here.
The drugmaker is headquartered in New Brunswick, NJ. State officials recently warned that many unused doses would reach their original three-month expiration by the end of June.
The extension comes as the rate of new U.S. vaccinations continues to slip. Expiration dates for vaccines are determined based on data manufacturers submit to FDA proving how long the shots stay at the right strength. But regulators have been reviewing those dates based on new samples and data from J&J and other drugmakers.
A dozen states passed a major vaccine milestone Wednesday as more than 70% of their adult populations having received at least one Covid19 vaccination.
States in the Northeast that have surpassed the 70% threshold include New Jersey, 74.1%, Connecticut, 75.6%, Massachusetts,78.7%, and Maine, 74.3%, according to the latest health data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To date, the CDC says 141 million Americans are fully vaccinated.
