Karachi police arrest impersonator for selling fake coronavirus vaccine

Currently, there is no cure or vaccine available for the mysterious contagion

KARACHI: Police have arrested an alleged impersonator for selling fake vaccine for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the upscale Defence neighbourhood of Karachi.

A team of Defence police – led by SHO Inspector Muhammad Ali Niazi – raided a “clinic” in the commercial area of Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Phase –2 (Extension) and arrested a man impersonating a doctor, SSP South Sheeraz Nazir told Express Tribune.

He identified the alleged impersonator as Syed Deedar, saying that a case has been registered against him.

According to SSP Nazir, the alleged impersonator had put up a board outside his “clinic” which read, “Coronavirus Vaccine is Available”. “So far, there is no vaccine is available for the novel coronavirus anywhere in the world, but this impersonator was swindling people in the name of vaccine,” he added.

SSP Nazir further said the Defence police have arrested a shopkeeper in a separate raid for selling hand sanitizers at a bloated price.

“Several dozen bottles of sanitizers have also been recovered from the possession of the shopkeeper, named Haris,” he added.



COVID-19 has whipped up fear around the world as the respiratory illness has killed nearly seven thousand people and sickened tens of thousands others in all continents of the globe excluding Antarctica.
Doctors advise social distancing and enhanced physical hygiene – including frequent hand-wash and use of alcohol-based sanitizers – to keep the mysterious contagion at bay. This led to a surge in the demand of sanitizers which is being used by profiteers as an opportunity to make money.

So far, there is no vaccine available for COVID-19, though several pharma companies are racing against the time to develop a cure, if not vaccine to stop the viral outbreak which has upended the whole world.
The Associated Press reported on Monday that a clinical trial to evaluate a vaccine designed to protect against the coronavirus is set to begin in the United States on Monday.

The first participant in the trial, which is being funded by the National Institutes of Health and taking place at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, will receive the experimental vaccine.