Johnson & Johnson Temporarily Pauses Covid Vaccine Production

Johnson & Johnson temporarily halted its COVID-19 vaccine production, reports revealed on Tuesday.

The American company late last year quietly shut down the only plant making usable batches of the vaccine, according to people familiar with the decision.

Reports noted that the plant is expected to start churning out the Covid vaccine again after a pause of a few months.

“This is not the time to be switching production lines of anything when the lives of people across the developing world hang in the balance,” said Dr. Ayoade Alakija, a co-head of the African Union’s vaccine-delivery program.

In an email, Jake Sargent, a spokesman for Johnson & Johnson, said that the company was “focused on ensuring our vaccine is available where people are in need” and that its global production network “is working day and night” to help fight the pandemic.

Sargent added that the company was continuing to deliver batches of the vaccine to facilities that bottled and packaged doses. He also pointed out that the company had millions of finished doses in inventory.