Up to 75 per cent of Covid cases caused by Indian variant, Hancock confirms
Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for use in the UK.
The jab has been shown to be 67 per cent effective at preventing moderate to severe Covid-19, with studies suggesting it also significantly reduces the risk of hospital admission and death.
The development came as the R rate of coronavirus infections crept above 1 in England. Data released on Friday by the Department of Health and Social Care and Scientific Sage put the figure between 1.0 and 1.1, up from between 0.9 and 1.1 last week.
Meanwhile, deaths of Covid patients in England’s hospitals have begun to rise. In the week to 20 May, the total number of fatalities was 35. The number of deaths reached 42 in the week to 27 May.
