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(Updates with police confirmation of bomb squad presence)
LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - A factory in Wales that produces
AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine was partially evacuated
on Wednesday after it received a suspicious package and police
said a bomb disposal unit was dealing with the incident.
Operated by Wockhardt UK, the plant provides so-called
fill-and-finish capacity for AstraZeneca's UK supply chain,
which is the final manufacturing step of putting vaccines into
vials or syringes and packaging them.
AstraZeneca has agreed to supply Britain with 100 million
doses of the vaccine, developed by Oxford University.
It is currently engaged in a dispute with the European Union
after it cut supplies to the bloc due to production issues at
its Belgian factory.
"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.
Local police confirmed that a bomb disposal unit was on site
and advised the public to avoid the area.
"We are currently dealing with an ongoing incident on the
Wrexham Industrial Estate," they said in a statement.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, Michael Holden and Guy
Faulconbridge; Editing by Estelle Shirbon and David Clarke)
