Officers with US Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday that they had seized another batch of counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, as well as doses of misbranded Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine.
The counterfeit vaccination cards represent at least the third batch seized by agents within the last month. The cards were located at the International Mail Facility at O’Hare, according to officials.
Two shipments were sized in Chicago on Oct. 4, and were addressed to be sent to Texas. One of the packages was listed as containing PVC sleeves, and the other was labeled as containing greeting cards, but instead officers found 21 counterfeit COVID vaccine cards in one and 20 in the other.
Both shipments originated in China, according to officials.
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The FBI is once again warning residents that buying, selling or using counterfeit COVID vaccination cards are violations of federal law.
While X-raying another package from China, officials discovered that the parcel contained a bottle with 100 tablets of Ivermectin. Another package from Mexico contained 32 more Ivermectin tablets and 40 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine.
The pills, which officials say were “misbranded,” were turned over to the Food and Drug Administration for investigation. The pills were addressed to Atlanta and St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
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“Those shipments are concerning. These were seized in just one night, and you have to wonder if this trend will continue,” Shane Campbell, the Area Port Director for the city of Chicago, said.
Ivermectin is FDA-approved as an anti-parasitic medication, but is not approved for treatment of COVID-19. Still, it has become popular among anti-vaccination groups, despite a rapid increase in reports of severe illness among people using the medication in unapproved ways.
