COVID-19: Nigeria on alert over fake vaccines shipped to Africa

The Nigerian government has placed its agencies on alert following speculations of fake COVID-19 vaccines reportedly dispatched to Africa.

The authorities also allayed fears that harmful jabs were being administered or sold by any unauthorised institution in the country.

Adebimpe Adebiyi, the Director, Department of Hospital Service, Federal Ministry of Health, issued a statement on the matter.

The circular followed a letter from the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 regarding the discovery of thousands of doses of fake vaccines destined for Africa from China.

Adebiyi said to prevent the importation of fake vaccines, “the Nigeria Customs Service has designated the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as the only Point of Entry (PoE) for imported COVID-19 vaccines.”

The government called the attention of medical directors of federal tertiary health institutions to the development.

Nigeria received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, through the COVAX facility, early this March.