Dr. Raul Pino, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, said the women arrived at a vaccination site “dressed as grandmothers” with caps, glasses and gloves, but were rejected. The women appeared to be in their early twenties, he told reporters.
Pino said the girls were coming for the second dose of the vaccine and had valid vaccination cards with the first dose. Pino did not know how they went through the vaccination process the first time. He hinted that there was a problem with women’s photo identification the second time around.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office released a body camera video of the two women after they were discovered. “Do you know what you did? You stole a vaccine from someone who needs it more than you do. And now you’re not going to get the second vaccine. So this is a huge waste of time that we waste here on this,” a policeman can be heard saying in the video.
BODYCAM VIDEO: Police arrested two Florida women posing as ‘grandparents’ to receive the vaccine
“If you come back, you will be arrested. You are lucky that you are not being arrested now.”
The situation was referred to the county sheriff’s office for further investigation, reported Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV.
Security has been tightened around vaccination sites, Pino said.
“This is the hottest commodity in existence right now,” he said of the COVID-19 vaccine. “We have to be very careful with the funds and resources that are provided to us.”
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