[Taf]

Coronavirus vaccine boxes must be defaced with permanent marker and destroyed before they are thrown away, official guidance warns.

NHS England instructions say this is to stop thieves using the cartons to sell fake jabs on doorsteps and the dark web.

They add that vials, which contain doses before they are put into syringes, can only be binned with used needles in yellow clinical waste bags.

While there have been no reports of jab packaging being stolen, the NHS claims this remains a 'significant risk'.

It comes after Pfizer revealed yesterday that it had discovered fake versions of its jab being sold in Mexico and Poland at £700 ($1,000) each.

A fraudster was caught in January giving out a fake vaccine in Britain for £160, and one vial was swiped from an inoculation centre in March.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nce-warns.html