The Federal Government has dismissed the possibility of any counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines being administered or sold by unauthorized institutions in the country.

Dr Adebimpe Adebiyi, the Director, Department of Hospital Service, Federal Ministry of Health, in a circular on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said there are indications that fake COVID-19 vaccines reportedly brought from China, are already circulating in Africa.

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 said, “The ministry is in receipt of a letter from the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 regarding the arrest of about 3,000 doses of fake COVID-19 vaccines which were Africa-bound from China.

“The report further indicates that the fake COVID-19 vaccines are already in circulation in Africa.

“To prevent the importation of fake vaccines, kindly note that the Nigeria customs service has designated Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport as the only point of entry (PoE) for imported COVID-19 vaccines.

“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 unauthorized institution.”

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 News Agency of Nigeria (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 authorized to import COVID-19 vaccines for now”.