Bodycam footage has emerged of two Florida women being scolded for their ‘selfishness’ after showing up at a COVID-19 vaccination site dressed as ‘grandmas’ to try and take the photo.
The couple have not been identified and charged with any crime, but sheriffs in Orange County near Orlando are investigating.
They registered for the vaccines online, claiming to be over 65, then showing up for appointments in what health officials described as a “ disguise. ”
It worked the first time – when the pair showed up at the Orlando Convention Center on Wednesday, they had CDC cards with them confirming they had already taken one dose.
One of them was wearing what looked like a shower cap, a long vest, a face mask and a face shield. The other let go of all her brown hair and was wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt.
When health workers looked at their ID, they saw that the couple were actually only 34 and 44 and therefore ineligible for any of the coveted vaccines. The names were the same as the ones they registered with online, so it seems health professionals just didn’t check their date of birth the first time around before giving the photos.
The police were called and the two were punished for their dishonesty before being released with a trespass warning and told not to return.
‘Do you know what you did ?! You stole a vaccine from someone who needs it more than you. And you’re not getting your second one so it’s a whole waste of time we just wasted on this one.
“We’re not even sure they will press charges against you and take you to prison now. So we are at that point. Just for your selfishness by stealing a vaccine.
“You have to wait your turn!” said one of the officers in the video.
This is when the two women were confronted by police at the Orlando Convention Center after showing up for their second COVID vaccine, dressed as grandmas
The two women stood still while police scolded them for their ‘selfishness’
The women wore protective masks and shields as part of their disguise
Do not come back! The women were filmed walking away from the convention center after being told they would be arrested if they ever returned
Seconds later, the couple were shown standing in front of the officers while being read out a warning of people intruding.
The officers told them they were lucky not to be arrested and they replied, ‘We know. We appreciate it ‘.
One of the officers smoked, “Everything, the building, the parking garage – you can’t go back here.
“It’s ridiculous that you’re here now.”
Dr. Raul Pino of the Florida Department of Health revealed what the women had done at a news conference yesterday, where he warned others against attempted vaccine fraud.
So yesterday we realized that a few young ladies dressed as grandmothers were coming to get vaccinated for the second time.
So I don’t know how they got out the first time, but they got vaccinated.
“The hats, the gloves, the glasses, the whole thing. And they were probably in their twenties.
“This is the most popular product out there right now so we have to be very careful,” he said.
Dr. Raul Pino of the Florida Department of Health revealed what the women had done at a press conference yesterday, where he warned others against vaccine fraud attempts
The Orlando Convention Center, where the two women were caught this week posing as grandmas
It is unclear what kind of charges the women will face.
Initially, delegates were called to escort them off the premises for violation.
It is unclear what happens if a person has the first vaccination dose but not the second, or if the women should wait and get the first dose again as soon as they qualify.
It is the latest example in a series of incidents in the US and the world where people, desperate to get their hands on the coveted photos, have lied about their age, address or identity in order to get it.
In Canada, a wealthy couple chartered a plane to the Yukon to receive vaccines for indigenous elderly people.
Rodney Baker, 55, and Ekaterina Baker, 32, flew 1,700 miles from Vancouver on January 21 to Beaver Creek, a community of 90 people in the far northwest of Canada.
They posed as hotel employees to get photos of the Moderna vaccine from a mobile clinic, but were fiddled with before flying home.
The Bakers were fined C $ 2,300 (US $ 1,800) for violating Covid rules, but community elders are demanding a more severe sentence.
The couple can now face jail time.
The women had their CDC card from the first dose. It is unclear how they first passed officials (image of the file)