The world is in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic and many types of vaccines have been developed and deployed to help fight the scourge. Vaccines save millions of lives each year. Vaccines work by training and preparing the body’s natural defenses – the immune system – to recognize and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. After vaccination, if the body is later exposed to those disease-causing germs, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness.
Globally, over 7 billion doses of COVID 19 vaccines have been given. Available data indicates that:
- 49.5% of the world population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- 7.07 billion doses have been administered globally, and 26.65 million are now administered each day.
- Only 3.6% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.
However, a small percentage of the population are resisting the COVID 19 vaccines opting to buy fake COVID 19 vaccines cards in order to beat the system. Recently, U.S. Customs officials in Cincinnati, Ohio, intercepted five shipments containing 1,683 counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards and 2,034 fake Pfizer inoculation stickers since August 16. The shipments from China were headed to private homes and apartments in the states of Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York and Texas.
In August, a Chicago pharmacist was arrested after being accused of selling dozens of authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination cards on eBay. In July, a naturopathic physician in Northern California was arrested for allegedly selling fake COVID-19 immunization treatments and forged vaccination cards.
How to Spot Fake Vaccine Cards
Fake vaccine cards can be difficult to identify because advances in printing technology has made it easy to print standard replicas. To identify a fake card, you have to be familiar with the standard card in your country and its appearance, the person’s name, the date of their vaccination, lot numbers, and the site where they received the vaccine. In The United States, the CDC itself doesn’t propose any specific criteria to assess the authenticity of vaccination cards.
Fake Covid-19 vaccine cards is a public health nightmare. Unlike most consumer fraud, neither the buyer nor seller is taking advantage of the other. Recent figures indicate that the number of sellers on the darknet offering forged vaccination records or test results has gone from about 1,000 to 10,000, according to cybersecurity firm Check Point Research. The rise in sellers coincides with an uptick in mandates for consumers around the U.S. to show proof of vaccination before entering certain venues. Read: What Are The Pros And Cons Of The COVID-19 Vaccine
