Products bearing the ‘made in China’ label are often met with questions of authenticity and quality. COVID-19 vaccines have not escaped this skepticism. Following tests by Brazil and other countries, the reported efficacy of Chinese vaccines has come under scrutiny with some falling way below the originally reported efficacy levels.

As if concerns about the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines was not enough, China itself has clamped down on the manufacturing and selling of fake COVID 19 vaccines.

CNN has reported that, “Police departments in Jiangsu, Beijing and Shandong have arrested more than 80 people involved in producing more than 3,000 fake Covid-19 vaccine doses, Xinhua News Agency reported.”

The Xinhua news agency report also states that, “Police found that since September 2020, those involved “have been making huge profits by fulfilling saline solution into injectors to process and make fake coronavirus vaccines and selling them at a higher price.”

Ironically, news of the manufacturing and sale of fake Chinese vaccines come amid China’s efforts to refute claims about the inefficacy of its vaccines. Unfortunately, in the efforts are carried out by downplaying other vaccines. With developing countries looking to purchase vaccines from China, these turns of events could reduce confidence in the COVID-19 vaccination initiatives.