FACT CHECK: Has Nigeria Received Coronavirus Vaccines From China?
A post shared on Facebook claims Nigeria recently received a shipment of coronavirus vaccines from China.
Verdict: False
The photos, taken in Ghana, show a shipment of personal protective equipment from China. No coronavirus vaccine is currently available.
Fact Check:
The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has sickened more than 3.7 million people and killed some 264,000 others worldwide to date, per the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. Nigeria has over 3,100 confirmed cases and over 100 deaths as of Thursday morning, according to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control.
The Facebook post, which features numerous photos of pallets being unloaded from an airplane, alleges China recently sent coronavirus vaccines to Nigeria. (RELATED: Has India’s Government Banned People From Posting About COVID-19 On Social Media?)
“Coronavirus vaccine just arrived Nigerian International Airport from China,” claims the post. “Against the wishes of the masses Nigerian government wants to force everyone to take this microchips vaccine. Inform your family not to accept any vaccine from the government.”
Through a reverse image search, the Daily Caller found the photos in an article published by the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency. The photos, taken at the Kotoka International Airport in Ghana, show Chinese medical supplies that were distributed to 18 African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria, according to their captions.
Among the medical supplies donated from China were N95 masks, medical protective suits, goggles and gloves, according to the Chinese embassy in Ghana. The shipment, however, did not contain coronavirus vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website that there is “currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19.)” In recent weeks, a number of coronavirus vaccine candidates have begun human trials, according to The New York Times.
Other fact-checkers have debunked claims about vaccines being used as vehicles for implanting human microchips.
