UP govt sounds alert after fake Covishield vaccines found in Southeast Asia, Africa

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NEW DELHI: The government of Uttar Pradesh has sounded an alarm after fake Covishield vaccines were found in Southeast Asia and some African countries. The Director of the National Health Mission (NHM), Uttar Pradesh, has issued detailed directions to the district magistrates and the chief medical officers in this regard.

In its advisory, the state government has directed all district magistrates and the chief medical officers (CMOs) to remain vigilant and increase monitoring of the supply chain of the Covishield vaccines.

“According to the letter of the Government of India, the World Health Organization has detected fake Covishield doses in Southeast Asia and Africa. After testing conducted by WHO and the manufacturing company, it was confirmed that the vaccine doses were fake,” the UP govt said in its advisory to the DMs and the CMOs.

The State Health Department said that the quality status of the vaccine should be verified before its use to prevent the circulation of fake Covidshield doses. This should be done especially for special sessions organized by private COVID vaccination centres (CVCs), it added.

It also directed officials to provide information regarding any suspicious activity to the competent authorities for prompt action. Developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca, the Covishield vaccines are being produced by the Pune-based Pune Serum Institute.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had recently identified counterfeit versions of the Covishield vaccine. The doses were seized by authorities in India and Africa between July and August, a WHO statement said.

It also cited the vaccine's maker, Serum Institute of India, in confirming that the doses were fake. The WHO warned that fake vaccines "pose a serious risk to global public health" and called for their removal from circulation.