Johnson & Johnson hit pause on its clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine after a study participant came down with an “unexplained illness,” the company told STAT. “We must respect this participant’s privacy. We’re also learning more about this participant’s illness, and it’s important to have all the facts before we share additional information,” the health-care behemoth added. A document obtained by STAT informed researchers that people would no longer be able to enroll for the clinical trial—which involves 60,000 patients—online, and that a committee that monitors patient safety in the study would meet to assess the situation. Johnson & Johnson stressed to STAT that pauses are common. “If we do a study of 60,000 people, that is a small village,” a source told the outlet. “In a small village there are a lot of medical events that happen.”
