"Supply of 220 Million Doses Possible by End of May"
Expected to Help Supply Shortage Due to Janssen Temporary Suspension
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Pfizer announced that it can increase the supply of COVID-19 vaccines promised to be delivered to the United States by the end of next month by 10% compared to the original plan. This announcement comes amid concerns over supply shortages following the temporary suspension of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) subsidiary Janssen's vaccine due to blood clot side effects, and it is expected to alleviate those concerns to some extent.
On the 13th (local time), according to CNBC and major foreign media, Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, stated on his Twitter account, "We can supply more than 10% above what was promised to be delivered to the U.S. by the end of May," adding, "If the supply increases by 10%, an additional 20 million doses can be supplied beyond the originally planned 200 million doses by the end of May." If the planned increase proceeds as announced, the total cumulative 300 million doses contracted between the U.S. government and Pfizer could be delivered two weeks earlier than the originally scheduled end of July.
This announcement came immediately after U.S. health authorities recommended temporarily suspending Janssen's COVID-19 vaccine administration for at least a few days due to concerns over blood clot side effects. Pfizer's announcement of increased production has raised expectations that concerns over vaccine supply shortages in the U.S. will be somewhat alleviated.
Previously, Janssen's COVID-19 vaccine was temporarily suspended by U.S. health authorities due to deaths caused by blood clot side effects. So far, 6.8 million doses of the Janssen vaccine have been administered in the U.S., with six cases of blood clot symptoms reported and one death. All affected individuals were women, aged between 18 and 48, representing a younger demographic.
Meanwhile, Pfizer announced that after reviewing safety data accumulated up to the 27th of last month, no evidence was found that their vaccine causes blood clots among recipients as a side effect.
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