The Federal Government has declared that COVID-19 vaccine is not for sale and dispelled reports of any fake vaccine being administered or sold by any unauthorised institution in the country.
The Director, Department of Hospital Service, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi, made this known in a circular signed on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in Abuja on Monday.
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.
The minister added that Nigeria is not even taking vaccines from China, adding that 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.
