Geneva, Switzerland - An independent expert panel on vaccines has recommended that the World Health Organization (WHO) approve the coronavirus vaccine produced by Janssen and Johnson & Johnson.

The drug has an efficacy of 93.1% against hospitalization, said the chairman of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), Alejandro Cravioto, in Geneva on Wednesday. The efficiency against a severe Covid-19 response is 85.4% after 28 days.

With this recommendation, emergency approval by the WHO is considered a formality. The Council has already recommended the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines for use.

The Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is a prerequisite for UN agencies to purchase and distribute the vaccine.

Countries that do not have their own capacity for scientific testing can grant approval based on the preliminary work of the WHO.

For countries such as the US, UK, and EU member countries, the WHO Emergency Use Listing does not play a role. Those countries make their own risk analyses and decide whether or not to approve them.

Cravioto did not initially comment on possible recommendations following several countries' suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine.