Washington D.C. – An independent panel of experts on Thursday recommended that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve the use of a second vaccine against Covid-19.

Based on the information available so far, the benefits of the drug in use in people 18 years and older outweigh the risks, 20 experts said at a meeting held by video link. There was one abstention on the issue.

The decision paves the way for the FDA to approve the emergency use of the vaccine, which was made by the company Moderna.

On Tuesday, the FDA released data showing that the Moderna vaccine is highly effective at protecting against severe cases of Covid-19.

Officials from the Department of Defense, which is helping to coordinate the vaccination campaign, have said that, if the Moderna vaccine is authorized, 5.9 million doses could be shipped by next week.

The first round of inoculations with a vaccine created by companies Pfizer and BioNTech began earlier in the week.