The World Health Organisation (WHO) informed that it has identified counterfeit versions of India’s primary Covid vaccine, Covishield. The doses were seized by authorities in India and Africa between July and August.
According to a BBC report, the vaccine’s maker, the Serum Institute of India, confirmed 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.
Covishield is the Indian-made version of AstraZeneca’s jab and is the most widely used vaccine in India with more than 486 million doses administered so far. The serum had supplied millions of Covishield vaccines to countries in Asia, Africa and South America – as part of deals that were linked with various governments and the global Covax scheme for poorer countries.