KINSHASA    -     Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) planned to deploy a second Ebola vaccine to control an outbreak that has killed more than 2,100 people.

The new vaccine made by U.S.-based firm Johnson & Johnson was safe, the DRC’s Ebola response team said in a statement on Saturday.

“It is a vaccine that other countries already use. Why can’t we use it to protect our population?” the statement said, without giving further information as to when the second vaccine would be introduced.

Johnson & Johnson earlier said it had 1.5 million doses available to be used.

The new one will complement current vaccine produced by Merck, U.S.-headquartered healthcare company.

The new vaccine requires two injections eight weeks apart while the Merck vaccine requires just one injection.