They find nearly 30 million vaccines hidden in Italy and destined for the United Kingdom – Telam

The doses were found at a factory owned by the Catalent company near Rome after the European Commission warned.

Authorities in Italy have discovered some 29 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford hidden in a warehouse in Italy, allegedly prepared for export to the UK, and which they did not have not informed of the existence neither to the Italian government nor to the University of Oxford. to the community authorities, according to the newspaper La Stampa.

The doses were found at a Catalent company near Rome after the European Commission warned, the Europa Press news agency reported.

At least part of this material would have been produced in the Netherlands by the firm Halix, a subcontractor of AstraZeneca with the capacity to generate 5 million doses per month, reports the Bloomberg news agency.

The drugs located in Italy are almost double what the European Union (EU) has received so far from the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company and, according to La Stampa, their final destination is the UK, which is believed to have them. purchased to ensure a second dose for nearly 15 million people.

The news transcends precisely the day the EU executive adopts a change in the control mechanism created to prevent the export of vaccines abroad by manufacturers who fail to meet their sales commitments to EU countries.

AstraZeneca’s constant defaults on deliveries made to EU partners while supplying the UK without delay with production from European factories, have increased tension between Brussels and London.“

So far this mechanism has only been used to stop vaccine delivery once in the month and a half that it has run and this was to block a shipment of AstraZeneca also prepared for shipment. from Italy, although to Australia.

AstraZeneca’s continued defaults on promised deliveries to EU partners while supplying the UK without delay with output from European factories, have increased tension between Brussels and London.

Against this backdrop, EU chief executive Ursula von der Leyen threatened Boris Johnson’s UK government a week ago to veto vaccine exports to the UK.

Von der Leyen will take this proposal tomorrow to EU heads of state and government, who will meet by videoconference to analyze the problems in order to move forward with the vaccination of Europeans at the expected pace.