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UK: Bomb threat forces evacuation of AstraZeneca vaccine plant in Wales

The North Wales Police have asked the public to avoid the area

View-of-the-Oxford-University-AstraZeneca-COVID-19-vaccine-boxes-at-the-Princess-Royal-Hospital-in-Haywards-Heath%2c-West-Sussex%2c-Britain-reu

A manufacturing plant in Wales for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has been partially evacuated after a suspicious package was found. The plant, operated by Wockhardt UK, has a reported capacity to make about 300 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine annually.

Reports of a loud bang have emerged from the plant, which the BBC reported witnesses saying it took place in the afternoon after police sent a bomb disposal unit to the area.

“Wockhardt UK in Wrexham this morning received a suspicious package to site. All relevant authorities were immediately notified and engaged,” the company said, referring to its facility outside the town of Wrexham in north Wales.

“Upon expert advice we have partially evacuated the site pending a full investigation. The safety of our employees and business continuity remain of paramount importance,” it said.

The North Wales Police tweeted, asking the public to avoid the area.

AstraZeneca, along with University of Oxford, developed the AZD1222 (known as Covishield in India) which has been approved for use in the UK’s vaccination programme. Over 7 million people have received a vaccine dose so far in the UK, even as the number of cases skyrockets, with the country crossing the 100,000 mark in COVID deaths on Thursday.

The UK is keeping careful watch over its vaccine supplies. An SNP MP was censured recently after accidentally revealing the location of a vaccine storage location. MI5 officials had earlier said they were keeping watch on attempts to steal vaccine secrets or even fiddle with the data.

AstraZeneca has been engaged in a public dispute with the European Union over delays in vaccine supplies, after EU officials said the company was going to supply “considerably fewer” doses than had been agreed, due to unspecified production problems.  

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