Belgium's health authorities urge people not to buy vaccine online

Belgium's health authorities are urging residents to refrain from buying COVID-19 vaccines online, in shops or on the street from unknown sellers.

Sabine Stordeur, who co-chairs Belgium's vaccination task force, told reporters Tuesday that those doses are very often fake vaccines, allegedly originating from Russia.

She said their efficiency and security had not been approved.

"The only safe and efficient vaccines are free and given in vaccination centers, hospitals and care or rest homes," Stordeur said.

Belgium is using the three coronavirus vaccines approved so far in the European Union: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

More than 370,000 people in Belgium have received a COVID-19 shot. Its population is 11.5 million.