Ugandans arrested for giving fake Coronavirus vaccine

Police in Uganda is investigating a father and daughter for allegedly giving people a fake vaccine against coronavirus. There is currently no inoculation against the disease which has killed more than 3,800 people around the world.

There are currently 18 confirmed cases of coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa but none in Uganda.

Police say they started receiving information on Friday that people in the district of Mayuge, 120 km (74 miles) east of the capital, Kampala, were being given a concoction to supposedly inoculate them against the coronavirus. They then arrested two people, believed to be behind the scam. Both have since been released on police bond pending further investigation.

Samples of the liquid they allegedly gave victims orally have been taken to the government forensic laboratory in Kampala for testing. It is not known how many people could have taken the concoction.

A police spokesperson told the BBC they believed the suspects gave the fake vaccine to victims for free with hopes of later charging for it once demand had been created.

Despite Uganda not recording cases of Covid-19, there has been growing concern about the disease.