Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine: Dr Raine outlines guidance updates
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According to the Wall Street Journal, around 80 people in Mexico were administered with the fake vaccine, with doses being sold for around $1,000 each. Another counterfeit vaccine was discovered in Poland.
However, the Polish fraudulent vaccine was not yet administered and it is believed those who received the fake jab were unharmed.
Now, the pharmaceutical company has issued a warning over fake vaccines and said no legitimate jab “is sold online”.
They said: “No legitimate vaccine is sold online.
“Only get vaccinated at official vaccination centres or by certified healthcare providers.”
However, they added how finding counterfeit vaccines was not unexpected.
They continued: “We are cognizant that in this kind of environment.
“Fueled by the ease and convenience of e-commerce and anonymity afforded by the internet – the prevalence of fraud, counterfeit and other illicit activity as it relates to vaccines and treatments for Covid-19.”
According to the company, vials seized in Mexico were confirmed to contain a bogus vaccine as well as fraudulent labelling.
While in Poland, the liquid inside the vials was likely to be an antiwrinkle treatment, according to Pfizer.
Lev Kubiak, Pfizer’s world head of security, said: “Everybody on the planet needs it.
“Many are desperate for it.
“We have a very limited supply, a supply that will increase as we ramp up and other companies enter the vaccine space.
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“In the interim, there is a perfect opportunity for criminals.”
This is not the first time police around the world have seized fraudulent vaccinations.
Last month, authorities in China and South Africa seized thousands of doses of counterfeit Covid-19 vaccines in warehouses and manufacturing plants.
Dozens of people were arrested, according to the international police agency Interpol.
Mexico is also reportedly investigating a shipment of around 6,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik vaccine.
According to Russia Direct Investment Fund, which leads efforts to market their vaccine, said the batch “suggests that it is a fake”.
In the UK, a man was charged for tricking a 92-year-old woman out of £160 for a fake coronavirus vaccination.
David Chambers was charged with five offences including fraud and going outside in a tier four area back in January.
In the UK, coronavirus vaccines are free of charge and available via the NHS.
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