Police in Italy have arrested a nurse on charges that he faked giving COVID-19 vaccines to at least 45 people so they could get a fake health pass, getting rid of the vaccines in a disposal bin, and even putting bandages on the people to avoid any suspicion of a scam.
Police on the eastern coast of Italy in Ancona also placed four alleged accomplices under house arrest and accused them of finding anti-vaccine supporters that wanted to pay for a health pass instead of getting the shots.
The nurse was caught on film by the police as he was apparently squirting the needle's contents into a medical waste bin before pretending to administer the patient's shot and giving them a bandage.
Police said the fake vaccination scheme wasted a "fundamental public resource."
The suspects are accused of corruption, falsifying information and embezzlement.
Italy requires proof of vaccination or a recent recovery from COVID-19 to enjoy leisure activities and use public transportation.
There were 184,577 new cases reported in Italy on Jan. 14, with a 7-day average 168,597 new cases.
New cases in Italy hit an all-time high on Jan. 11 with a reported 220,519.
Cases have drastically risen in Italy since the early fall, as there were only 3,403 new cases on Oct. 1 with a 7-day average of 3,152 new cases at that time.
As of Jan. 13, 82.6% or 49.2 million people have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine in Italy, and 76% or 45.2 million people are fully vaccinated. Only 42.7% or 25.4 million people have received their booster shot.
Related
Related
