Johnson & Johnson has suspended production of a coronavirus vaccine. The company closed its sole manufacturing plant in the Netherlands last year.

Since Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is supplied through the COVAX program to poor and developing countries, this decision shocked representatives of the African Union.

Johnson & Johnson spokesman Jake Sargent assured that the company is "focused on making the vaccine available where people need it" and its global manufacturing network is "working day and night."

The company continues to ship batches of vaccine to businesses that fill and pack doses, he said. In addition, Johnson & Johnson has millions of pre-filled doses.

Earlier, Johnson & Johnson's vaccine had begun to decline in popularity in high-income countries, in part because of its association with a rare but dangerous bleeding disorder, but also because of its effectiveness rates, which were lower than those of Pfizer and Moderna.

However, other countries depend on supplies from Johnson & Johnson because its vaccine does not require ultra-cold storage.

Currently, only about 11% of Africans are fully vaccinated.

At the beginning of the year, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) warned that frequent coronavirus boosters (for example, every four months) could weaken the immune response. In addition, in the long term, continuous booster vaccination may not be as effective as desired. Instead, the regulator recommends increasing the intervals between revaccinations and tying them to the cold season, just like seasonal flu vaccination.

bbabo.Net