US expects to have enough vaccine supply despite J&J pause

A line of people waited outside Hynes Convention Center for a COVID vaccine last week.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. expects it will have enough coronavirus vaccine to meet U.S. demand by May despite a pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson’s shot, an official familiar with the matter said.

Production from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. should be enough to meet U.S. demand, one official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, as signs emerge that the U.S. is beginning to shift from a shortage of shots to a shortage of willing recipients.

Pfizer and Moderna make up about 95% of weekly U.S. shots being allocated as of now, with J&J accounting for the rest. President Joe Biden has pledged to have enough vaccine, including J&J, for all Americans by the end of May, but it’s not clear how many Americans want the shot.

It’s not clear how long the pause will last, and use of the J&J shot could resume. The U.S. Expects to receive 24 million doses from the company this month.