Two women in Florida posed as seniors in an attempt to get the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, body camera footage released Friday shows.
According to the Florida Department of Health Dr. Raul Pino, the would-be impostors appeared at the Orange County Convention Center inoculation site on Wednesday “dressed as grandmas” to obtain their second dose of the highly sought-after drug.
“We have had no shortage of willing weapons to get ourselves vaccinated,” Pino told local CBS affiliate WKMG. “We also have people pretending to be old to get vaccinated. So yesterday we realized that some young ladies dressed as grandmas were coming to get vaccinated for the second time, so I don’t know how they got away the first time, but they came (to get vaccinated). The hats, the gloves, the glasses – the whole thing, and they were probably in their twenties. “
According to the police, the couple was slightly older than that. One woman would be 34, while the other would be 44.
“There were some issues with their IDs and their driver’s license, but I don’t know all the details about them,” added Pino.
Apparently the women were using their real names but using false birth dates. Finally, the police showed up.
‘Do you know what you did? You stole a vaccine from someone who needs it more than you, and now you’re not getting your second, ”a deputy sheriff says to the women. So that’s a whole waste of time that we just wasted on this here. So we’re here at that point, but only because of your selfishness to steal a vaccine. “
Their names have not been released to the media and are unlikely to become part of the public record as the duo is not being charged. No arrests were made and they were warned that their conduct could have been accused of trespassing.
“Okay, this is a violation warning,” a sheriff’s deputy says on the footage. “You are hereby warned that you are not licensed or incited to be on this property, and you can be arrested if at any point in the future you refuse to leave or return to this building or the other buildings, the parking garage everything , everything on the whole property here. It’s ridiculous that you’re even here now. “
One of the women then thanked the agents for their leniency and the botched vaccine grabs set off.
“It’s a bit hilarious, but it’s also a disappointment because they take the place that someone else, in much greater need, could have had that place,” Pino said before the footage was released.
He also noted that he didn’t know how to get their first dose – or if they actually did.
“So part of the findings we have to do is whether they were really vaccinated by us, when (they were) vaccinated, what happened, on what date, what time to try to find out if there were any gaps or loopholes in it. that allow people to do that, ”added the health department official.
[image via Orange County Sheriff’s Office]
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