Zim Morning Post|ZIMBABWE has reportedly become a destination for fake COVID-19 test kits from China, Zim Morning Post can report.

This comes on the backdrop of reports that test kits are now being sold in the streets by individuals who are acting on behalf of some Chinese nationals.

Investigations by the Zim Morning Post revealed that the Chinese are not only selling the test kits but also locally manufacturing face masks which are being sold at a price of US$1.50 each.

“It is not known whether the masks are the ones which ministry of health recommends or not,” said the source.

“The test kits are said to give results within five minutes.

Fake and counterfeit drugs have always found their way into the country with health officials and government failing to act on suspected fake drug merchandisers.

Early this month Zim Morning Post published a story warning citizens against buying fake sanitisers with low alcohol quantity which have slso flooded the market.

The coronavirus pandemic originated from the Chinese industrial hub of Wuhan in December last year, leaving thousands of people dead in its wake.

Presently, Zimbabwe is suffering from a shortage of COVID-19 testing kits, with slightly over 2000 suspected cases having been tested as of date.

The fake Chinese test kits are going for US$25 each, a sum which many poor households in the country cannot afford.

Sources said the fake COVID-19 testing kits were easily finding their way into the country through some porous points of entry, even as border posts remain partially sealed for the 21-day lockdown period.

Zim Morning Post on Friday contacted Harare City Council director of health Prosper Chonzi, who expressed ignorance on the issue.

Eve Gadzikwa of the Standards Association of Zimbabwe was also unaware of the existence of the fake COVID-19 products that are reportedly trickling into the country.

“The Ministry of Health and Child Care needs to verify this information first. They have the mandate to confirm if this is true and to advise the public,” was all Gadzikwa could say.

Recently, a local daily newspaper reported Vice President Kembo Mohadi as saying government had targeted to test at least 30 000 people for the pandemic by end of April, adding it had adopted a strategy to do 1 000 or more rapid COVID-19 tests daily.