J&J confirms pausing Covid-19 vaccine trial because of unexplained illness

Johnson & Johnson said its Covid-19 vaccine study has been temporarily halted due to an unexplained illness in a trial participant.

Jake Sargent, a spokesman for the New Brunswick, New Jersey company, confirmed an earlier report by health-care news provider STAT that the study was paused.

Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson joined the short list of vaccine makers that have moved an experimental coronavirus shot into late-stage human studies in the U.S. The company has since begun dosing up to 60,000 volunteers, marking the first big trial of an Covid-19 inoculation that may work after just one shot.

News of the halt comes after AstraZeneca Plc temporarily stopped tests of its vaccine after a trial participant fell ill. That study has resumed in a number of countries but remains halted in the U.S.