Ugandan scandal: hundreds of people received fake COVID-19 vaccines

About 800 people received one or more injections of fake COVID-19 vaccines in Uganda scam carried out by ‘unscrupulous’ doctors and nurseslocal authorities announced on Wednesday.

The mock vaccines, sometimes mixed with water, were administered between May and June, in the midst of a wave of coronavirus infections in the country, with an average of 1,700 new cases per day. Scammers were targeting people willing to pay for their vaccines, while in Uganda the doses were insufficient, said Warren Naamara, the presidency’s health services supervisor.

“Unscrupulous people, with the intention of making money, they deceived the public with fake COVID-19 vaccines, ”Naamara reported to the agency. AFP. “Two health workers have been arrested and a doctor is on the run,” he said.

The analyzes showed that the jars did not contain any dangerous products and that “there was only water in some of them”said the manager. The crooks charged an equivalent between $ 25 and $ 120 per injection.

Since the start of the pandemic, Uganda has recorded 91,162 cases and 2,425 deaths from the coronavirusaccording to the latest count from the authorities on Wednesday.

Africa, in full regrowth and without vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Africa last week recorded a 43% increase in deaths from COVID-19, what is it to observe that Hospital admissions are increasing rapidly and countries are facing shortages of oxygen and beds in intensive care units. Deaths jumped to 6,273 last week, from 4,384 reported the week before. Africa is now less than 1% of the weekly peak reached in January, when 6,294 deaths were recorded.

Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia represented the 83% of new deaths recorded last week. The continent’s case fatality rate, which is the proportion of deaths among confirmed cases, currently stands at 2.6% compared to the global average of 2.2%.

COVID-19 cases have risen for eight consecutive weeks, surpassing 6 million. Over the past month, Africa has recorded an additional 1 million cases. This is the shortest time it has taken so far to add 1 million cases. Comparatively, previously it took three months to go from 4 million to 5 million cases.

The increase in cases is occurring in a context of insufficient vaccine supply. Only 18 million people in Africa are fully vaccinated, which is 1.5% of the continent’s population compared to over 50% in some high-income countries. Vaccinated with at least one dose reached 2.95%, a difference of nearly 17 points with Oceania and 23 compared to Asia. Much further from South America (leading 36%), North America and Europe (both 44%).

“The double barrier of vaccine shortages and treatment challenges seriously undermines the effective response to the growing pandemic. However, with new vaccine deliveries expected and strong preventive measures, we can still change course against the virus, ”said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, at a press conference there. a few days ago.

(With information from AFP)

KEEP READING: