On Mar. 31, a batch of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (J&J) failed a quality check.

According to Modern Healthcare, “A vaccine ingredient made by Emergent BioSolutions—one of about 10 companies that Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine—did not meet quality standards, J&J said.”

Workers at Emergent BioSolutions mixed up the ingredients of the vaccine. The error was then discovered in the quality check. Johnson & Johnson released a statement saying the batch “was never advanced to the filling and finishing stages of our manufacturing process.” As reported by the New York Times, there have been approximately 15 million ruined vaccines due to this mishap.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) online vaccine tracker showed that Johnson & Johnson had provided about 6.8 million doses already. WREX stated “It was unclear how the failed batch would affect future deliveries of the recently approved vaccine in the U.S., at a time when new COVID-19 cases are rising again.”

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine required one shot and was only 66.3 percent effective in clinical trials— it also showed similar side effects as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. 

Preceding the quality check failure, Maryland’s COVID-19 Response Command Center released a statement commenting on delay inquiries in their manufacturing plant.

“At this time, the Administration has not received any notice of delay in shipment of J&J vaccine to the Commonwealth from the federal government, and this week received 383,000 doses as part of the state allocation from the federal government of Moderna, Pfizer and J&J doses,” the statement read. “This news does not impact current appointments or allocations for any sites statewide and we remain prepared to work collaboratively with the federal government to avoid any disruption in vaccine shipments.”

While this vaccine may have failed the quality check, the company is working to solve this problem. Johnson & Johnson revealed they are now providing “additional experts in manufacturing, technical operations and quality to be on-site at Emergent to supervise, direct and support all manufacturing of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.”

To get a COVID-19 vaccine, check local doctor’s offices and pharmacies for availability.