An injection of Janssen’s single-dose vaccine (Photo: SOPA Images / LightRocket via Gett)
The European Commission is clear about it. Janssen will not meet the agreed deliveries of its single-dose vaccine until the end of July. This is an issue that affects the 55 million doses that the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary has committed to with the European Union for this second quarter, according to El País.
The reason for this delay is due to expansion works of a Dutch factory in Leiden, which Brussels estimates could be extended for two months. At the moment, the firm belonging to the American multinational has delivered 7.2 million units of the serum, which translates into 13% of what was agreed.
However, the newspaper also anticipates that Brussels is confident of reaching the goal of immunizing 70% of the community population this summer. Key to this will be the new arrivals of supplies from Pfizer and Moderna, even if they are double-dose vaccines.
A blow to the vaccination schedule
It is not the first time that a delay similar to this would take place, as it already happened in the AstraZeneca case and that will end up being settled in court. As then, the delay may affect the national vaccination schedule. This Tuesday, Health approved the injection of Janssen for the age group between 40 and 49 years, a measure designed to promote the pace of the process.
According to El País, Janssen confirms that it will fulfill its contract of 200 million injections, but without clarifying when it will do so. It also expects the Leiden plant in the Netherlands to be fully operational in the third quarter. “We are working tirelessly to develop and activate our manufacturing capabilities,” reads the letter sent to the newspaper.
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This article originally appeared on The HuffPost and has been updated.
