Hundreds of thousands of doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been secretly flown to Australia from Britain after the EU blocked exports to the country. The EU blocked a shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines from leaving Italy for Australia last month, drawing on controversial export laws for the first time. While Britain has sent doses to overseas territories - such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands - Australia is thought to be the only separate country to receive AstraZeneca vaccines made in Britain. Health Secretary Matt Hancock did not deny that AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines manufactured in the UK have been sent to Australia. Most Australians were to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine with the government securing 53.8 million doses, including 50 million to be manufactured locally.

Source: The Nation April 08, 2021 09:00 UTC