Officials of the Czech Republic said on 3 March 2021 that the country has declined an offer to buy AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccines from an intermediary in the UAE, Reuters news agency reported on Thursday.

The Health Minister of the Czech Republic, Jan Blatny, said the offer was not officially from the UAE but that it came from an unnamed third party.

In a tweet, Blatny said: "An offer arrived from this country from an intermediary, for a purchase from India. It concerned a batch that does not have permission for the European Union."

AstraZeneca reportedly said there should be no private sector supply for sale or distribution of the vaccine in Europe.

"If someone offers private vaccines, it is likely counterfeit, so should be refused and reported to local health authorities," a company spokesman was quoted as saying.

AstraZeneca has licensed the Serum Institute of India (SII), considered the world's largest vaccine maker, to manufacture the vaccine doses mainly for poor and middle-income countries.

A spokesman for SII said that the company has not authorised any party in the UAE to act as a reseller on its behalf.