The UK has approved Johnson & Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine

• The UK has approved the J&J coronavirus vaccine for use.
• The shot was found in trials to be 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19.
• The country is using the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Moderna vaccines as well.

The UK's medicines regulator has approved the Johnson & Johnson single-dose coronavirus vaccine for use in the country.

Dr. June Raine, the chief executive at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said in a press release Friday that the UK regulator had reviewed the vaccine's quality, safety, and effectiveness and had granted it conditional marketing authorization.

The authorization means any Brit over the age of 18 can now receive J&J's shot, which was 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 in trials.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the approval as "a further boost to the UK's hugely successful vaccination program."

The country has secured 30 million doses of J&J's shot, which can be stored at room temperature.

Coronavirus vaccines from Oxford University-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Moderna are already being used in the UK. More than 38.6 million people in the UK - about 58% of the population - have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to government figures.

The shot will be available for use later this year, the BBC reported.

J&J's vaccine was authorized in the US on February 27. So far, more than 10.5 million Americans have received the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.