Bodycam images emerged of two Florida women being reprimanded for their ‘selfishness’ after appearing at a COVID-19 vaccine site dressed as ‘grandparents’ for trying to cheat and get the injection.
The pair has not been identified and has not been charged with any crime, but sheriffs in Orange County, near Orlando, are investigating.
They registered for vaccines online, claiming they were over 65, then attended consultations in what health officials described as a ‘cover’.
It worked the first time – when the pair showed up at the Orlando Convention Center on Wednesday, they carried CDC cards confirming that they had already taken a shot.
One was wearing what appeared to be a shower cap, a long cardigan, a mask and a face shield. The other left all her brown hair down and wore a Mickey Mouse T-shirt.
When health professionals looked at their ID cards, they saw that the pair was actually only 34 and 44 years old and therefore was not eligible for one of the coveted vaccines. The names were the same as the names they registered online, so it seems that the first time, health professionals simply did not check their date of birth before applying them.
The police were called and both were punished for their dishonesty before being released with an invasion warning and told not to return.
‘Do you know what you did ?! You stole a vaccine from someone who needs it more than you do. And you won’t get the second one, so it’s a big waste of time that we just wasted here with that.
– We are not sure if they will file a complaint against you and take you to prison now. So, we’re at that point. Just for your selfishness in stealing a vaccine.
‘You have to wait your turn!’ said one of the policemen in the video.
This is the moment when the two women were confronted by the police at the Orlando Convention Center after showing up for their second COVID vaccine dressed as grandparents.
The two women were silent as the police scolded them for their ‘selfishness’
Women wore protective masks and shields as part of their disguise
Do not come back! The women were filmed leaving the convention center after being told they would be arrested if they returned
Seconds later, the pair was shown standing in front of the police while an invasion notice was read to them.
The police said they were lucky that they were not arrested and they replied: ‘We know. We thank’.
One of the policemen got angry: ‘Everything, the building, the parking lot – you won’t be allowed to come back here.
– It’s ridiculous that you’re here now.
Dr. Raul Pino, of the Florida Department of Health, revealed what women did yesterday at a news conference, where he warned others against attempting vaccine fraud.
– So, yesterday, we noticed that two young women came dressed as grandparents to be vaccinated a second time.
‘So I don’t know how they escaped the first time, but they came vaccinated.
“The caps, the gloves, the glasses, everything. And they were probably in their 20s.
“This is the hottest commodity that exists at the moment, so we have to be very careful,” he said.
Dr. Raul Pino, of the Florida Department of Health, revealed what women had done yesterday at a news conference, where he warned others against attempts at vaccine fraud
The Orlando Convention Center, where the two women were spotted pretending to be grandparents, this week
It is not clear what kind of charges women will face.
Initially, deputies were called to escort them out of the property for invasion.
It is not clear what will happen if a person takes the first dose of the vaccine, but not the second, or if women will need to wait and receive the first dose again when they are eligible.
It is the latest example in a series of incidents in the United States and around the world where people, desperate to get their hands on the coveted photos, lied about their age, address or identity to obtain them.
In Canada, a wealthy couple chartered a plane to the Yukon to obtain vaccines for indigenous seniors.
Rodney Baker, 55, and Ekaterina Baker, 32, flew 1,700 miles from Vancouver to Beaver Creek, a 90-person community in the far northwest of Canada, on January 21.
They impersonated visiting hotel staff to receive injections of the Modern vaccine from a mobile clinic, but were beaten before they could fly home.
Bakers were fined C $ 2,300 (US $ 1,800) for violating Covid rules, but community elders are demanding a tougher penalty.
The pair can now face jail time.
The women received the CDC card from the first dose. It is not clear how they passed by employees the first time (archive image)