Delivery of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine delayed 

The delivery of more than one million doses of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine has been delayed beyond the scheduled date of July 15.

The delay has occurred because the plane carrying the vaccine, which is donated by the United States government, is experiencing engine problems, the US Embassy in Vientiane said on its Facebook page.

A definite rescheduled time for the arrival of the vaccine has not yet been confirmed, but the shipment will be delivered as soon as possible.

“Due to these problems, we don’t have a new confirmed time of arrival, but don’t worry, the airline assures us that the cold chain is being maintained and the vaccines will be fine, and they WILL get here!,” the embassy said.

“We are disappointed the flight is not arriving today, but we are monitoring the situation and will be there to greet the flight when it gets here. Stay tuned for further information.”

The US government is donating 1,008,000 doses of the vaccine through the COVAX Facility – a partnership co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO), with UNICEF as key delivery partner.

The vaccine was originally scheduled to arrive in Vientiane on the evening of July 15.

The donation is part of the United States’ contribution to the ongoing global effort to end the pandemic, and support for Laos’ goal to vaccinate 50 percent of the population by the end of this year.

As of July 13, a total of 1,030,461 people in Laos had received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, accounting for 14 percent of the population. Some 647,872 people have now had two doses, equal to 8 percent of the population.

As the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen (J&J/Janssen) Covid-19 vaccine requires only a single dose to be effective, this donation will enable Laos to provide protection against the virus to more than one million people (about 14 percent of the population), out of the country’s total population of approximately 7 million.

This means the US donation plus the 14 percent already vaccinated will bring Laos close to immunising 30 percent of the population.
  

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
(Latest Update July 16, 2021)