THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines being sold by unscrupulous individuals must not be used because of their questionable quality.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo said it could not be determined these were handled and stored.
Each vaccine brand has a particular cold storage requirement.
“We don’t have any idea on the integrity of its cold chain, on how it was handled,” Domingo said.
He said he is issuing the advisory as there may be more unscrupulous individuals illegally selling the COVID-19 jabs.
Recently, three persons were arrested in Quezon City in an entrapment operation set up by the National Bureau of Investigation, for selling of COVID-19 vaccines. Seized from the three suspects are 300 doses of vaccines made by the Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech. Investigations are ongoing.
On Wednesday night in Pasay City, a woman who posed as a nurse, and her partner were arrested for selling vaccines, also in an entrapment operation
Pasay City police chief Col. Cesar Paday-os identified the arrested as Michelle Parajes, 35, and Angelo Bonganay, 28, of Malinta in Valenzuela City.
The arrest came after Dayrelle Esteban, a nurse from Pasay City, told the police Parajes was using her identity in selling the vaccine . She said she learned of this through Facebook.
Police said the two were arrested at about 6 p.m. inside a fast food restaurant on Roxas Boulevard. No vaccine was found in their possession. — With Noel Talacay
