FDA shuts Baltimore vaccine factory
White House says supply of other vaccines is enough for now, pushes employers to give time off, other incentives for younger adults to get vaccinated
The President will announce today that his goal of 200 million shots administered will be reached Thursday, more than a week ahead of his 100-day target.
Although the US has been administering about 3 million doses per day since the end of March, the vaccination rate appears to be tapering off and no longer increasing, according to the New York Times and other sources.
FDA inspectors shut down the Emergent vaccine manufacturing plant in Baltimore on Tuesday after a series of inspections identified a list of concerns, including failure to document compliance with safety protocols and improper handling of vaccine ingredients and other materials. The plant was to produce both the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. It must correct the violations before operating again.
“No vaccines have been released from that plant, and they only will be when the FDA authorizes it,” said a senior administration official, adding that the supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines meets the goal of having enough vaccine for every adult by May 30.
The factory was to be a major source of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the use of which has been “paused” by FDA and CDC pending a review of a small number of severe blood clot cass associated with the vaccine. CDC advisors meet Friday to decide next steps on the vaccine’s use.
Of the 133 million people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the USA, about 7 million got the J&J shot.
Tax credit to give workers time off for vaccinations. The White House announced a new tax credit of up to $500 per employee per day to reimburse companies for giving time off so that employees can get vaccinated and, if necessary, rest or recuperate after getting the shots. The credit is available for businesses with 500 or fewer employees and covers time off granted between April 1 and September 30, 2021.
Citing data that shows fewer than half of working adults have been vaccinated against COVID-19, a senior administration official said younger, working people don’t have the same sense of urgency the drove a large majority of older adults to get vaccinated. “It has to be more convenient,” he said. “People don’t want to lose pay to get vaccinated.”
Polls indicate that convincing the remaining adults to get vaccinated may be a challenge, even if the vaccine supply is plentiful and nearby.
India’s COVID-19 situation has dramatically worsened. Earlier hopes that the country had gotten control over the pandemic have faded, as the number of COVID-19 deaths has surged along with hospitalizations. The test positivity rate has doubled nationwide in the past two weeks, reaching a whopping 30% in Delhi. There have been over 200,000 new cases reported on each of the last seven days.