As the
world sources for vaccine to tackle the
deadly pandemic, Nigeria is warning people against fake coronavirus vaccines as
there are reports that some are in circulation now.
National Agency for Food Drug and Administration Controlin Nigeria urged the public to be aware.It said fake vaccines can cause "Covid-like illnesses or other serious diseases that could kill."The National body said no vaccine had been approved by them.
About 10
million real doses of the vaccines are expected in March, authorities are
working on which one. It was also unclear whether the batch would be financed
by the African Union (AU) or as part of COVAX, which links the World Health
Organization (WHO) with private partners to work for pooled procurement and
equitable distribution.
Last year,
black market coronavirus tests flourished in Nigeria because citizens were
reluctant to be subjected to mandatory quarantine.
Nigeria has
said it hopes to vaccinate 40 percent of the population in 2021.
But the
challenges of transporting and storing vaccines for many millions of people are
enormous in a country where adequate hospital facilities are lacking.
Read also, As cases increase in the country, Nigerian scientist probes country's coronavirus strain.
Nigeria is
the most populous nation in Africa and has officially reported some 104,000
COVID-19 cases with more than 1,300 deaths, But the real toll is expected to be
higher as the number of tests is low.
Cases have
risen sharply since the end of November, notably in the economic capital Lagos,
a city of about 20 million people. The death rate has also increased.
A variant strain
of coronavirus has been discovered in recent months but it remains unclear
whether it is more contagious or deadly.
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