The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) issued a recommendation Monday that Canadian provinces can give the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to adults age 30 or older.
NACI also said provinces can use the vaccine on those who might have a hard time booking a second dose of another vaccine.
Last week, federal officials said the distribution of the J&J vaccine would be paused because of quality concerns over the batch of J&J vaccine that Canada has received.
Parts of the lot were manufactured in the same Baltimore plant where millions of doses made for the J&J rollout in the U.S. had spoiled.
The plant is under investigation by the United States Food and Drug Administration. It has been forced to closed.
Health Canada officials said the doses will only be released when “once Health Canada is satisfied that they meet the Department’s high standards for quality, safety and efficacy.”
The Canadian government is currently working with the U.S. FDA and manufacturer Janssen to ensure the vaccines are safe for use.
Approximately 300,000 doses of the single-shot J&J vaccine arrived in Canada last week.
Canada has pre-ordered 10 million doses of the vaccine, with an option to buy 28 million more does.
Of the four vaccines currently approved for use in Canada, Johnson & Johnson is the only one that requires a single dose to be fully effective.
