A Johnson & Johnson spokesman declined to confirm the delay, but said the company remains “confident in our ability to meet our 2021 supply commitments”.
“We continue to have active discussions with regulators, including on the approval and validation of our manufacturing processes,” said the spokesman.
“Operation Warp Speed is working with Johnson & Johnson to increase and maximize manufacturing of the Janssen vaccine,” said an HHS spokesman. “Making projections at this point is premature.”
Warp Speed co-director Moncef Slaoui alluded to the slowdown in production on Monday, telling reporters that the company was now on its way to “one million one-digit” doses in the second half of February. The company will have “a much larger number” by April, he added.
The New York Times reported production delays for the first time.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is considered critical to accelerate the country’s efforts to end the pandemic, mainly because it requires only a single dose. Photos also don’t have to be stored at sub-zero temperatures that require special freezers.
On the other hand, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines currently being distributed require two separate doses, complicating the inoculation logistics for health departments and service providers who must ensure that patients return for their second injection.
But Johnson & Johnson’s injection also uses an older approach that incorporates coronavirus genetic information into a common virus, while Pfizer and Moderna use new technology that uses messenger RNA to send instructions to cells. Although the mRNA approach was not proven before these products, vaccine experts say it is easy to increase rapidly.