Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine can be kept in a refrigerator for four and a half months, extending the shot’s shelf life by 50% as doses languish amid a slowing immunization campaign.
The company said in a statement that the Food and Drug Administration adopted the extension based on study data showing that the vaccine is stable when refrigerated at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 to 7.8 degrees Celsius) for four and a half months.
As the U.S. vaccination effort slows, concern has been growing that some shots could spoil before they are used. About 1.1 million doses a day are being administered in the U.S., according to Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker, well below the peak of more than 3 million a day seen in April.
