Fake Russian vaccines officially hit the scene

March 18, 2021

A batch of fake Sputnik V vaccines has been uncovered — in Mexico. 

According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the company behind the development of the country’s Sputnik V vaccine, Mexican authorities seized a batch of the counterfeit shots. The company said it was able to identify the vaccines as counterfeit by analyzing photographs of the containers and labels. 

This isn’t the first fake batch of vaccines to be found by authorities. Earlier this month, a shipment of 2,400 counterfeit vaccines turned up in South Africa after being smuggled about 6,000 miles from China. 

Interpol’s secretary general said the South African discovery was just the “tip of the iceberg” and that there are likely many batches of counterfeit vaccines in circulation that have not been found. 

Read the Reuters report.