Police in China have broken a fake ring that they say manufactures and sells more than 3,000 fake coronavirus vaccines across the country, Xinhua, the Chinese state-run news agency, reported on Monday.
More than 80 suspects have been arrested in Jiangsu and Shandong provinces, in the city of Beijing and elsewhere, Xinhua said.
According to the agency, police said the main suspect, a person named Kong, injected salt into vials and sold them as coronavirus vaccinations.
“The manufacture and sale of counterfeit vaccines are crimes of a bad nature and can cause serious harm,” Xinhua said. It added that police are urging members of the public to be vaccinated “through the regular channels to be deceived.”
The arrests began with an order from the Ministry of Public Safety to curb crimes against vaccines. Late last year, the demand for Covid-19 vaccines in China was so great that it inspired a cottage industry of scalpers that charged up to $ 1,500 for an appointment.
The government is also cautious about dealing with the possible political downfall of another vaccination scandal. In recent years, reports that Chinese companies have manufactured data on their vaccines or done vaccinations that have made babies sick have eroded public confidence in domestic vaccines, even if proven safe. Many wealthy parents avoid them in favor of their Western counterparts.
Unlike many other countries, China has not indicated that it intends to vaccinate its entire population of 1.4 billion people. It vaccinated about 24 million people, mostly essential workers, about half of its target of vaccinating 50 million people by February 12, the beginning of the Moon New Year.