By Haruna Gimba
The Federal Ministry of Health has raised an alarm over fake COVID-19 vaccines allegedly from China which is currently in circulation in Africa.
The ministry in a letter addressed to head of Nigeria health institutions, said over 3,000 of the fake vaccines, which were Africa-bound from China, have been intercepted.
The Director of Hospital Services of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi, in the letter to the Chief Medical Directors/Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Health Institutions, said that the ministry had received a letter from the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 regarding the arrest of about 3,000 doses of fake COVID-19 vaccines which were Africa-bound from China.
“The report further indicates that the fake COVID-19 vaccines are already in circulation in Africa. To prevent the importation of fake vaccines, kindly note that the Nigeria Customs Service has designated Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as the only Point of Entry (PoE) for imported COVID-19 vaccines.
“I am therefore to bring this to your notice and dispel any possibility of COVID-19 vaccines being available for sale or being administered by any unauthorised institution. Please accept the assurances of my best regards,” she said.
