Vaccine doses rescued from severe floods in Britain

British emergency services worked through the early hours of Thursday morning to prevent severe flooding damaging a store of doses of the Astrazeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.

Workers managed to save the vials of the vaccine, which were being stored in a warehouse in the Welsh town of Wrexham.

Council leader Mark Pritchard told the BBC that the floods had threatened an industrial estate where the British-developed vaccine was being produced and stored.

Dozens of Wrexham residents were evacuated from their homes after flood warnings were issued as Wales was hit by storm Christoph overnight.

The severe weather system had battered parts of northern England and Scotland earlier in the week.

A statement from manufacturing partner Wockhardt UK said the flooding had not affected vaccine production.

“All necessary precautions were taken meaning no disruption to manufacturing or inlet of water into buildings,’’ the company told DPA.

“The site is now secure and free from any further flood damage and operating as normal.’’