A panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended on Friday the authorization of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

The positive vote, after hours of scientific discussion, paves the way for an official decision the FDA will make over the coming weekend.

If the Johnson & Johnson vaccine gets FDA approval, it will be the third vaccine to be available in the United States, after the other two made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

Unlike the two-shot dosing for the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one shot. Meanwhile, it does not require ultra-cold storage.