NYT halts production of COVID vaccine at J&J plant

NYT: Johnson & Johnson halts production of COVID vaccine at Dutch plant

The shutdown of a Johnson & Johnson plant in Europe, where the percentage of vaccinated is already high, could lead to a shortage of vaccines for poor countries, the newspaper writes. This vaccine is convenient because it does not require deep cold storage

Johnson & Johnson has stopped production of a COVID-19 vaccine at one of its factories in the Dutch city of Leiden. The New York Times. According to the publication, this plant will produce another, potentially more profitable vaccine, not related to the prevention of COVID.

The shutdown is temporary – the Leiden plant is expected to start production of a COVID vaccine again after a pause of several months, and it is not yet clear if this will affect the supply of the vaccine, thanks to the stocks made earlier,” the newspaper notes.

One of the sources told the newspaper that the reduction in the supply of COVID vaccine due to the shutdown of this plant will amount to several hundred million doses. Other enterprises were supposed to compensate for the retired capacities, but they either have not yet been launched or have not received permission from the regulatory authorities.

According to the NYT, poor and developing countries under the COVAX program, primarily in the African Union, depend most on Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine supply, since this drug does not require storage at very low temperatures for transportation.

“Now is not the time to change production lines anywhere when the lives of people throughout the developing world hang in the balance,” Ayoade Alakia, co-chair of the African Union Vaccine Delivery Program, told the paper.