By Vincent Achuka
Governments across the world — including Kenya — have been put on high alert following the unearthing of fake Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa and China.
The discovery comes just three months after Interpol warned law enforcement agencies to be alert of criminal gangs who may take advantage of the slow distribution of vaccines and introduce fake ones on the black market.
There are no approved Covid-19 vaccines currently available for sale anywhere in the world.
And in countries where they are available like in Kenya, Covid-19 vaccines have a tightly-controlled supply chain, making them available only through health authorities who are rolling out doses to priority groups.
Multinational syndicates
Anxious people are, however, flocking the internet in an attempt to jump the queue without knowing that they are exposing themselves to organized multinational syndicates selling counterfeit vaccines.
Police in South Africa searched a factory in Germstone, Guateng, and seized 2,400 false vaccine doses and three million fake face masks. A total of 400 ampoules were used to package the vaccines. Three Chinese citizens and one Zambian have been detained.
Interpol quoted Brigadier Vish Naidoo, South African Police National Spokesperson, as saying, “Our association with colleagues from all Interpol member countries is proving to be very fruitful as we have seen in the arrests for foreign nationals trying to peddle false vaccines to innocent citizens within South Africa.”
Finished and ready to ship
Police in China raided a facility accused of producing bogus Covid-19 vaccines, seizing over 3,000 doses that were ready to ship. During the raid, which was aided by Interpol’s Illicit Goods and Global Health Programme, over 80 offenders were apprehended (IGGH).
“Vaccine protection is extremely important to the Chinese government. Chinese police are waging a targeted effort to deter and punish vaccine-related offences, proactively investigating and prosecuting those crimes in compliance with the legislation “According to a Chinese Ministry of Public Security spokesperson.
The national rollout in Kenya
Kenya’s first nationwide introduction of the Covid-19 vaccine to priority groups coincided with the discovery of the bogus vaccines. President Uhuru Kenyatta warned Kenyans during the launch in Athi River that the vaccination exercise would be a failure unless Kenyans continued to follow Covid-19 containment protocols.
“I’d like to remind Kenyans that this disease is still present in our country. We’re not over yet because of the vaccines. We must keep defending ourselves. Put on masks, wash your face, sanitize, and keep your distance from others “said the President
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