HEALTH SCAM

Italian Nurse Arrested for Allegedly Selling Fake COVID Shots to Anti-Vaxxers

The nurse was aiding anti-vax advocates who wanted to get access to travel, bars, restaurants, and public transports—all of which require proof of vaccination.

An Italian nurse has been arrested after investigators say they used a hidden camera to catch the 58-year-old emptying doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and injecting empty syringes into the arms of anti-vaxxers. Investigators say that anti-vaxxers were paying up to $340 for the falsified vaccines in order to get a “super green pass” and have access to cinemas, gyms, nightclubs, stadiums, and indoor dining. The nurse, whose own booster shot was fake, has been arrested on charges of forgery and embezzlement. The incident isn’t an isolated one: At the same Palermo hospital another alleged scam that offered fake vaccines for up to $460 was discovered in December. Another Italian nurse in Ancona was arrested on similar grounds last Wednesday after giving fake vaccines to at least 45 people. “We have uncovered the dark and fraudulent plots of these diehard, no-vax people who do not hesitate to break the law,” the Palermo police commissioner said in a statement. “This investigation also shows how, unfortunately, there are still unvaccinated health workers who work in hospitals in close contact with patients.”