J&J delay slows Covid-19 vaccine rollout across a world needing shots

At a briefing Tuesday, FDA officials said the length of the pause will depend on what they learn, but they expect it to be a "matter of days"

The pause in the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine marks another setback for the world’s inoculation campaign, just as it was picking up speed in Europe and other regions where immunizations have lagged.

The drugmaker suspended shots in Europe after U.S. officials urged pausing vaccinations to review rare cases of deadly brain clots, similar to those seen with AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine. Several countries in Asia were on the verge of deciding whether to approve J&J’s inoculation before the safety issue arose, while Australia had already ruled out any purchases.

In the European Union, which is struggling to quell