Johnson & Johnson confirms schedule for vaccine delivery to Norway
Norway has received a boost to its vaccination programme as Johnson & Johnson said it aims to start delivery of its vaccine in the second half of April.
Norway has ordered 900,000 doses of the vaccine and in its best-case scenario plan will distribute 300,000 doses each in April, May and June, with the aim of having everyone under the age of 18 vaccinated by the end of June. The company has now said it will begin delivering doses from next month, newspaper VG writes.
The Norwegian Institute for Public Health (NIPH) had previously expressed concern due to uncertainty about when the vaccine would arrive.
Originally, the health authority was not given a schedule for deliveries by the company and had feared its vaccine programme would fall behind if the first orders were not received by April.
NIPH’s director of infection prevention and control Geir Bukholm explained the impact that any potential delay could have in comments to VG.
“It will have significant consequences for the program of the vaccination program. It is a significant delivery,” Bukholm said.
On Thursday, European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended approving Johnson & Johnson's single dose Covid vaccine after a successful trial, paving the way for the European Commission to allow it to be rolled out across the EU and in Norway.
The vaccine only requires one dose, is easy to store and has shown effectiveness against the B1351 mutation, first identified in South Africa.
It is 66 percent effective against moderate to severe illness and 85 percent effective against severe illness and death, according to Johnson & Johnson’s data from clinical trials.
The company has committed to delivering 200 million doses of the vaccine across the EU by the end of 2021.
READ ALSO: EU drugs regulator approves new single dose vaccine
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Norway has ordered 900,000 doses of the vaccine and in its best-case scenario plan will distribute 300,000 doses each in April, May and June, with the aim of having everyone under the age of 18 vaccinated by the end of June. The company has now said it will begin delivering doses from next month, newspaper VG writes.
The Norwegian Institute for Public Health (NIPH) had previously expressed concern due to uncertainty about when the vaccine would arrive.
Originally, the health authority was not given a schedule for deliveries by the company and had feared its vaccine programme would fall behind if the first orders were not received by April.
NIPH’s director of infection prevention and control Geir Bukholm explained the impact that any potential delay could have in comments to VG.
“It will have significant consequences for the program of the vaccination program. It is a significant delivery,” Bukholm said.
On Thursday, European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended approving Johnson & Johnson's single dose Covid vaccine after a successful trial, paving the way for the European Commission to allow it to be rolled out across the EU and in Norway.
The vaccine only requires one dose, is easy to store and has shown effectiveness against the B1351 mutation, first identified in South Africa.
It is 66 percent effective against moderate to severe illness and 85 percent effective against severe illness and death, according to Johnson & Johnson’s data from clinical trials.
The company has committed to delivering 200 million doses of the vaccine across the EU by the end of 2021.
READ ALSO: EU drugs regulator approves new single dose vaccine
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