Johnson & Johnson‘s late-stage coronavirus vaccine was paused after a participant reported an “adverse event” about 36 hours earlier, the company’s chief financial officer said Tuesday.

The pause will allow the data and safety monitoring board to thoroughly investigate the unexplained illness, CFO Joseph Wolk said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

“We’re letting safety protocol follow proper procedure here,” he said, adding that pauses in trials are “not uncommon.”

“What it should also do is reassure the public that every scientific, medical and ethical standard is being applied here,” Wolk added.

J&J confirmed to STAT News on Monday that a “pausing rule” in the 60,000-patient clinical trial had been met, but declined to provide further details on the patient.

“We must respect this participant’s privacy,” the company said in a statement late Monday. “We’re also learning more about this participant’s illness, and it’s important …continued .
[Source: CNBC News]