How to identify a fake COVID-19 vaccine from an original one
At a time when Delta variant cases are on the rise and the fear of a possible third COVID wave looms over our head, coronavirus vaccination has become the need of the hour and must be prioritized.
However, discussions around vaccine authenticity have become a major source of concern in recent times. Following the World Health Organization's concerns over counterfeit versions of Covishield in South-East Asia and Africa, Centre has issued guidelines to ensure that people receive authentic COVID vaccines.
Currently, Serum Institute of India's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Russian vaccine Sputnik V are being administered in India to people who fit the eligibility criteria.
Centre warns against fake COVID vaccines, issues guidelines
As of now, about 684.6 million vaccine doses against COVID-19 have been administered in the country so far, as per reports.
But keeping the concerns of the WHO in consideration, Additional Secretary Manohar Agnani wrote a letter to additional chief secretaries and principal health secretaries of all states and UTs and stated, "It was requested that the vaccines need to be carefully authenticated before use...the information on genuine COVID-19 vaccine labels and additional information of the COVID19 vaccines in use is being enclosed for reference of program managers and service providers under the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program. The service providers and monitoring teams for COVID-19 vaccination may be informed about these details and to ensure due diligence towards recognition of counterfeit vaccines."
That said, the Centre has issued certain guidelines to help people identify the fake COVID vaccines from the original ones.
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How to check whether Covishield vaccine is authentic?
Covishield vaccine was the first COVID vaccine approved in India.
In order to identify a genuine Covishield vial, here are some markers to look for.
- The SII product’s label shade and colour of the aluminium flip-off seal is dark green.
- The brand name COVISHIELD with the trademark is mentioned on the original vaccine.
- The font of the generic name is not written in bold, whereas the lettering is in special white ink to make it more readable, overprinted with CGS NOT FOR SALE.
- The SII logo is printed on the adhesive side of the label and at a unique angle and position, identified by only a select few who are aware of the exact details, as per the government guidelines.
- The overall label has been given a special honeycomb effect, which is visible only at a specific angle.
- Lastly, it is said that the honeycomb design has been altered slightly at strategic locations, and certain additional special elements added to the texture design, which is not visible to the common eye, but those who are aware of the subtle changes can easily verify the authenticity of the label and vial.
Parameters to check for authenticity in COVAXIN
As per the official guidelines, to identify an original Covaxin vial, one must look at an invisible UV helix on the label, which is only visible under ultraviolet light. Micro text hidden in the label claims Dots, which is written as COVAXIN.
There is also a green foil effect in the "X" of “Covaxin".
How to identify the authenticity of Sputnik V vaccine?
As far as the Russia-made Sputnik V COVID vaccine is concerned, the health ministry stated that there are two different labels for it, as there are two bulk manufacturing sites from Russia.
Although the information provided and design are the same, the manufacturers’ names are different. While the English labels are only available on the front and back of the carton of a five-ampoule pack, all other details, including the primary label on the vaccine ampoule, is in Russian.