False: The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine contains aborted fetal cells.

By: Ankita Kulkarni
March 12 2021

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The vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson does not contain cells from aborted fetuses.COVID-19 vaccines have been at the center of misinformation and disinformation campaigns since they were developed. This includes a false claim that individuals should avoid the J&J vaccine as it's manufactured using cells from an aborted fetus. The J&J COVID-19 vaccine is created by growing a modified virus in cells originally derived from a retinal cell line that was isolated from an aborted fetus in 1985. Cells from the fetus have been replicated over the decades, creating what’s known as cell strains. So the actual cells used in the manufacture of this vaccine are not directly from a fetus. Any vaccine that relies on these historic cell lines will not require the use of aborted fetuses. Johnson & Johnson has also issued a statement saying that there is no fetal tissue in its COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, although fetal cell lines may be used to develop or manufacture COVID-19 vaccines it is false to say that the vaccine itself contains cells from fetuses. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.