It’s difficult at this time, to say how the disposal of 60 million  Johnson and Johnson vaccines from a Baltimore manufacturing plant in the United States will impact T&T’s order of 800,000 doses.

This is according to Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh, who addressed the concern during Wednesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives. 

“Madame Speaker, the J&J vaccine is produced at multiple sites in the United States…These vaccines are also produced in South Africa…at a plant in Italy, a plant in Netherlands, a plant in Spain; it also produced in a plant in France and in India,” Minister Deyalsingh laid out before the Lower House. 

“For these reasons, it is difficult to anticipate the possible effects of this, so therefore no opinion can be put forward at this time,” he added.

The announcement of Trinidad and Tobago’s purchase of 800,000 Johnson and Johnson vaccines was first made on June 5th by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, who said the shipment was likely to arrive in the country in August.

US Federal regulators on June 11th told Johnson & Johnson that about 60 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine produced at its Baltimore factory cannot be used because of possible contamination.

The US Food and Drug Administration plans to allow about 10 million doses to be distributed in the United States or sent to other countries, but with a warning that regulators cannot guarantee that Emergent BioSolutions, the company that operates the plant, followed good manufacturing practices.