TRICK UP HIS SLEEVE

Anti-Vaxxer Tries, Fails, to Dodge Getting His Shot by Wearing Fake Arm

An eagle-eyed health worker noticed something was amiss as soon as the man sat down.

An anti-vaxxer in Italy was so determined not to get his COVID-19 shot—but still obtain a health pass—that he allegedly turned up to his appointment wearing a fake arm. According to the Guardian, the unnamed man, 50, brazenly entered the vaccine clinic in the city of Biella, sat down, and lifted up his sleeve as if everything was normal. However, the eagle-eyed health worker noticed something was amiss. “At first I thought I made a mistake, that it was a patient with an artificial arm,” Filippa Bua told Italian media. “The color of the arm made me suspicious and so I asked the man to uncover the rest of his left arm. It was well-made but it wasn’t the same color [as the rest of the arm].” Bua claims the man then said to her, “Would you have imagined that I’d have such a physique?”

It’s not clear if the entire arm was fake or he was wearing a thick covering over his existing arm. The Guardian reports that, following the failed stunt, the man is facing charges of fraud. Last week, Italy announced measures barring unvaccinated people from a long list of activities.