Johnson & Johnson has briefly stopped the manufacturing of its COVID-19 vaccine at a Dutch plant.

The pharmaceutical firm introduced on February 8 that the plant will briefly stop operations on its COVID-19 vaccine in an effort to start manufacturing on one other vaccine for an unrelated virus. The announcement, reported by The New York Instances, comes as international vaccine distribution has slowed down, worrying organizations like COVAX that the halt in manufacturing will make it worse.

"We attempt to enhance human well being and have labored tirelessly to forge partnerships and construct a worldwide manufacturing community throughout 4 continents to provide our COVID-19 vaccine," wrote the corporate in a press release. "Our manufacturing websites produce a number of merchandise as now we have an obligation to produce life altering medicines to sufferers all over the world and convey ahead our revolutionary pipeline of recent medicines and vaccines. We handle our manufacturing planning accordingly and are at the moment supplying from our intensive international community primarily based on the demand for our vaccine and the wants of our sufferers and prospects."

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been embroiled in controversy ever since its creation. Conflicting studies of its effectiveness, in addition to potential uncomfortable side effects not recorded in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines, have lowered the recognition of the one-shot vaccine.

The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention have beforehand mentioned that they really helpful receiving the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines over the Johnson & Johnson dosage. Newsweekbeforehand reported that the CDC recorded 54 instances of blood clotting in sufferers that took the Johnson & Johnson vaccination in December. Nevertheless, well being officers urged calm in those that have already obtained the vaccine, saying that the uncomfortable side effects may need already proven up in the event that they had been affected.

"When you have had the J&J vaccine not too long ago, and expertise uncommon signs, examine with a healthcare skilled," Dr. Alexander Edwards of the College of Studying instructed Newsweek in December. "The hostile occasions usually occur inside 1-2 weeks of the vaccine so in the event you had the vaccine some time in the past, you may be shielded from hurt from COVID-19 and there's no long-term threat."

Nevertheless, the shot was among the many most generally distributed worldwide by applications resembling COVAX and the African Union. In accordance with the Instances, the organizations solely realized in regards to the supposed manufacturing halt when the reporters instructed them about it.

"This isn't the time to be switching manufacturing traces of something, when the lives of individuals throughout the creating world hold within the stability," mentioned African Union vaccine distribution co-head Dr. Ayoade Alakija to the Instances.

COVAX additionally finds the alleged halt in vaccinations to be a detriment. Whereas talking to the Instances, Dr. Seth Berkley mentioned that the group, which helps ship vaccines to poorer nations all over the world, already allow them to down in 2021 and that they can not do this once more in 2022.

"We actually wanted their doses in 2021, and we had been relying on them," mentioned Dr. Berkeley. "They did not ship. So we needed to discover different doses to fulfill the nations' wants."

Johnson & Johnson has tried to quell these fears within the midst of the manufacturing halt.

"We're centered on guaranteeing our vaccine is accessible the place persons are in want, and we proceed to meet our contractual obligations in relation to the COVAX Facility and the African Union," mentioned the corporate of their assertion. "We at the moment have thousands and thousands of doses of our COVID-19 vaccine in stock."

Man say avoids COVID vaccine
Johnson & Johnson has allegedly ceased manufacturing of its COVID-19 vaccine briefly. Above, licensed Vocational Nurse Eloisa Flores prepares a dose of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Los Angeles, California, on December 15, 2021.Photograph by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP through Getty Photos

Replace 2/8/22 at 1:10 P.M.: This story has been up to date with the official assertion from Johnson & Johnson, together with extra info on the reported effectiveness and uncomfortable side effects of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and reactions from Dr. Seth Berkley.