Exclusive: J&J seeking one-third of COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteers in hard-hit Latin America

FILE PHOTO: The company logo for Johnson & Johnson is displayed on a screen to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the company's listing at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., September 17, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson will seek 20,000 volunteers for late-stage human trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine in hard-hit Latin America, one-third of the planned global total, one of its public health chiefs in the region said.

Josue Bacaltchuk, vice president of medical affairs for Latin America for Janssen, J&J's Belgian unit developing the vaccine prototype, said countries hosting the trials would also likely get preferential access to vaccines once ready.