With the approval of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, the nation now has a third bullet in the battle against this disease, which has killed over 500,000 Americans.

Johnson & Johnson were shipping out the entire stock Sunday night to the states, and injections should be starting today. That’s 4 million doses, with 16 million more due by the end of March, and 100 million total by the end of June.

We have frequently stressed the importance of vaccinations in bringing COVID-19 under control and allowing a relaxation of the safety precautions and rules that we have been living with over the past year.

We encourage everyone to keep up the precautions, and get a vaccination as soon as you are eligible.

Vaccines have been man’s greatest weapon against disease. Smallpox has been eradicated from the face of the earth, and polio is nearly gone, thanks to vaccines. We hope the current vaccines will do the same for COVID-19.