A lorry carrying Covid-19 samples in Port Elizabeth city in South Africa have been reportedly hijacked triggering a police investigation and a bio-hazard threat.

According to SABC report, the lorry was hijacked at gunpoint outside a clinic on Monday and abandoned shortly after with the samples, contained in cooler boxes filled with ice missing as well as the vehicle’s battery and spare tyre.

The National Health Laboratory Services in Eastern Cape province have warned the hijackers and the public not to touch the samples because they are potentially highly infectious.

Health officials are investigating the number of samples stolen before determining how many people to retest.

About 2.5 million coronavirus tests have been conducted in South Africa.

The country has the highest number of confirmed cases in Africa.