The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the Johnson & Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine offers strong protection against COVID-19 and is safe, paving the way for it to be the third vaccine against the virus authorized in the United States. 

FDA scientists confirmed that the single-dose vaccine is about 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, according to the Associated Press. The agency's independent advisers will now discuss if the evidence is enough to recommend the vaccine. 

But what does the FDA's approval for J&J mean for hospitals and residents of the Valley?

COVID-19 frontline volunteer Dr. Olga Oliveras Herrera said the single-dose shot makes the logistics of vaccinating much easier. 

Herrera also said the vaccine requires less temperatures, making it easier to handle as opposed to others. 

That makes the vaccine more available in rural parts of the Valley that may not be able to afford sub-temperatures freezers. It also makes it more accessible to Valley residents who are homebound. 

But what about efficacy? 

"So the total efficacy rate of the vaccine is about 66%," Herrera said. "And some people might say that's too low compared to Pfizer and Moderna."

She said the reason the efficacy of the J&J's vaccine is lower is because it's been tested in Latin America, as well as South Africa.

According to Herrera, J & J's vaccine is the only one that has been widely tested with new variants.

"From all the people who took the vaccine, nobody went to the hospital," Herrera said. "Which is amazing, and that means the vaccine is very successful in decreasing the severity of the illness."