COVID-19 vaccine not for sale, says FG

The federal government has declared that COVID-19 vaccine is not for sale and dispelled any possibility of any fake vaccine being administered or sold by unauthorised institution in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that this was contained in a circular signed by the Director, Department of Hospital Service, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi, on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in Abuja.

The circular followed a letter from the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 regarding the arrest of about 3,000 doses of fake COVID-19 vaccines destined for Africa from China.

The minister, who acknowledged receipt of the PTF letter, however, stated that “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.

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

He then called the attention of chief medical directors and medical directors of federal tertiary health institutions to the fake COVID-19 vaccines destined for Africa, noting that it had been arrested in China.

Meanwhile, competent sources in the ministry confirmed the information to the NAN in Abuja.

One of the sources said: “the ministry issued a circular to inform the medical directors of federal hospitals about the fake vaccines.

“It is just to let them (medical directors) know that fake COVID-19 vaccines are on the way to Africa but is not in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is not even taking vaccines from China, so there is no way fake vaccines can get into the country because it is only the Federal Government that is authorised to import COVID-19 vaccines for now”.