Fake Covid-19 vaccines emerge in China, South Africa

Fake Covid-19 vaccines have been discovered in China and South Africa.

As a governments globally are being warned to be on the alert.

According to reports, the discovery of the fake vaccines three months after Interpol warned law enforcement agencies to be on the alert of criminal gangs who may take advantage of the slow distribution of vaccines and introduce fake ones on the black market.

Reports say police in South Africa raided a warehouse in Germstone, Guateng where they netted 2,400 doses of fake vaccine and three million fake face masks.

According to reports, the vaccines were packaged in some 400 ampoules.

In South Africa, some three Chinese nationals and a Zambian national were reportedly arrested.

“Our association with counterparts from all Interpol member countries is proving to be very effective as we have seen in the arrests for foreign nationals attempting to peddle fake vaccines to unsuspecting people within South Africa,” Brigadier Vish Naidoo, South African Police National Spokesperson was quoted by Interpol as saying.

China syndicate

Also, reports available to DGN Online indicates that in China, police raided a facility suspected to be manufacturing fake Covid-19 vaccines and seized more than 3,000 doses that were ready for shipping.

More than 80 suspects were arrested during the raid facilitated by Interpol's Illicit Goods and Global Health Programme (IGGH).

“The Chinese government attaches great importance to vaccine security. Chinese police are conducting a targeted campaign to prevent and crack down on crimes related to vaccines, proactively investigating and combating crimes related to vaccines in accordance with law,” a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, is quoted by Interpol as saying.

—DGN online