Biden officials are worried Johnson & Johnson won't be able to deliver 20 million COVID-19 vaccines promised by end of the month

COVID vaccine — A patient receives an injection of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

Biden officials worry they won't have J&J COVID-19 vaccines by end of March, Politico reported.
The company promised the 20 million doses by the end of the month.
The delay could impact Biden's plan to have vaccines available to all adults by May 1.
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Officials in President Joe Biden's administration are concerned Johnson & Johnson won't deliver on their promise to provide 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of the month, Politico reported.

Richard Nettles, the company's vice president of US medical affairs, said Johnson & Johnson would likely have produced 20 million doses by the end of March during a House committee hearing last month.

However, three sources, including two senior administration officials, told Politico they're concerned that current production may face logistical complications and regulatory delays, meaning the entire 20 million may not be delivered until mid-April.

Johnson & Johnson did not reply to Insider's request for comment at the time of publication but spokesperson Jake Sargent told Politico that the company "expect[s] to deliver 20 million single-shot vaccines by the end of March."

The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention reported that as of Monday, 4.3 million of the company's vaccines have been delivered.

The White House also did not reply to Insider's request for comment at the time of publication.

The Food and Drug Administration has yet to authorize two American partners, Emergent BioSolutions and Catalent, which has contributed to the delay.

The doses are supposed to help Biden fulfill a goal of having vaccines available to all US adults by May 1.

"That doesn't mean everyone will get a shot immediately, but May 1 is the day every adult will be eligible to sign up to get the first shot," a senior administration official said.

Biden also previously announced that the US will have enough vaccine doses for "every adult in America" by the end of May.

So far, more than 82.7 million Americans, or a quarter of the country, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 44.9 million fully vaccinated, according to data from the CDC.

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