The South African government on Thursday urged citizens to refrain from buying fake coronavirus vaccines, saying the country is in the process of procuring more vaccines for free distribution to everyone wishing to be vaccinated against the pandemic.
The announcement followed the recent police seizure of 400 vials, equivalent to about 2,400 doses, of fake Covid-19 injections at a warehouse in Germiston, Gauteng Province.
The police also confiscated fake masks at the facility and arrested three suspects in connection with the contrabands.
Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said counterfeit vaccines distributed by the “unscrupulous peddlers” had the potential to endanger the lives of unsuspecting citizens.
She assured South Africans that her government was working “around the clock to speed up the rollout of vaccines” whose administration started three weeks ago in the country.
The minister said the government’s free Covid-19 vaccination programme, which has so far covered 100,000 healthcare workers, would reach all South Africans who volunteer to be vaccinated.
Citizens should, therefore, exercise patience for their turn to be administered with the life-saving drugs, the minister said.
Pretoria had also started talks with other drug manufacturers to procure doses for the country to attain “herd immunity” by vaccinating 60% of the population, the minister added.
“The prevention of a possible third wave is all in our hands,” Ntshavheni said, as she urged compatriots to continue to adhere to the prevention protocols of masking, soap-washing hands and social distancing.
NM/jn/APA