Avoid political inclinations, Action Aid told
ACTIONAID should not be political over the Hayat Vax (SARS-COV-2 Vaccine) which was intercepted from businessman Valden Findlay and destroyed by ZAMRA because it is manufactured by reputable companies, Citizens Democratic Party (CDP) president Robert Mwanza has said.
Mr Mwanza was reacting to sentiments by ActionAid that the 10, 000 doses of Hayat Vax (SARS-COV-2 Vaccine) intercepted at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport were fake.
The Hayat Vax SARSCOV-2 is a vaccine produced by the combination of Sinopharm and CNBG and the United Arab Emirates was using it widely.
The vaccines are approved in the UAE, Philippines and Vietnam because of their ease of storage.
Mr Mwanza said it was absurd for ActionAid to claim that the vaccines were fake when no tests or professional consultations were done before their destruction.
He said it was political for ActionAid to insinuate that Mr Findlay, a friend of former
President Edgar Lungu would import fake vaccines.
Mr Mwanza said considering the countries that had approved Hayat Vax (SARS-COV-2 Vaccine) for use among their citizens, it was illogical to conclude that the vaccine was fake.
He challenged ActionAid to tell the nation the basis for which it was concluding that the vaccine was fake.
“Let ActionAid tell us what tests they have done to come to a conclusion that Hayat Vax (SARS-COV-2 Vaccine) is fake. They should stop being political,” Mr Mwanza said.
Earlier, Mr Findlay had explained that the doses were a donation from the people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who had certified them as okay for use by people in various countries.
Mr Findlay in an interview said that he was being targeted and that people wanted to discredit his name that he wanted to sell the consignment when in fact not.
He said that the vaccines were not fake and that they were actually approved in the UAE where they are produced together with countries like Vietnam and the Philippines.
Mr Findlay said the vaccines were genuine and were received as a donation from the UAE and not that they were meant for supplying to the Ministry of Health.