Bodycam footage emerged of two women in Florida regretting their ‘selfishness’ after being offered a COVID-19 vaccine, dressed as ‘grandmothers’ to try and get the chance.
The couple have not been identified and have not been charged with any crime, but sheriffs in Orange County near Orlando are investigating.
They registered online for the vaccinations, claiming they were over 65, and then showed up for appointments in what health officials described as a ‘disguise’.
It worked for the first time – when the couple arrived at the Orlando Convention Center on Wednesday, they took CDC cards with them confirming that they had already had one dose.
One of them was wearing a shower cap, a long vest, a face mask and a face shield. The other one let go of all her brown hair and wore a Mickey Mouse t-shirt.
When health workers look at their IDs, they see that the pair are actually only 34 and 44 and therefore are not eligible for any of the popular vaccines. The names were the same as the names they registered with online, so it looks like the health workers did not check their date of birth for the first time before giving the shots.
Police were called and the two were reprimanded for their dishonesty before being released with a misdemeanor warning saying they should not return.
“Do you know what you did ?! You stole a vaccine from someone who needed it more than you. And you’re not going to get your second one, so it’s a whole waste of time we wasted on this.
“We are not even sure if they will sue you now and take you to jail. So we are at that point. Just for your selfishness to steal a vaccine.
“You have to wait your turn!” said one of the officers in the video.
This is the moment when the two women in the Orlando Conference Center are confronted by the police after they show up for their second COVID vaccine dressed like grandmothers
The two women stood still while the police complained about 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 conference center after being told they would be arrested if they ever returned.
Seconds later, the pair were shown in front of officers while reading them an offensive warning.
The officers told them they were happy that they had not been arrested, to which they replied, ‘We know. We appreciate it ‘.
One of the policemen smelled: ‘Everything, the building, the parking garage – you are not allowed here.
“It’s ridiculous that you’re here now.”
Dr. Raul Pino of the Florida Department of Health revealed what the women did yesterday at a press conference, where he warned others against attempted vaccine fraud.
‘So, yesterday, we realized some young ladies were dressing up for the second time when grandmothers came to be vaccinated.
‘So I do not know how they escaped the first time, but they were vaccinated.
‘The hood, the gloves, the glasses, the whole thing. And they were probably in their twenties.
“This is the hottest commodity currently available, so we have to be very careful,” he said.
Dr. Raul Pino of the Florida Department of Health revealed what the women did at a press conference yesterday, where he warned others against attempted vaccine fraud.
The Orlando Convention Center, where the two women were caught as if they were grandmothers, is off this week
It is unclear what kind of charges the women face.
Initially, delegates were called to escort them from the property for trespassing.
It is unclear what happens if a person undergoes the first dose of vaccine but not the second, or the women have to wait to get the first dose again as soon as they are eligible.
This is the latest example in a series of incidents across the US and the world where people, desperate to get their hands on the popular shots, lied about their age, address or identity to get it.
In Canada, a wealthy couple rented a plane to the Yukon to get vaccines intended for indigenous elders.
Rodney Baker, 55, and 32-year-old Ekaterina Baker flew 1,700 kilometers from Vancouver to Beaver Creek, a 90-person community in the far northwest of Canada, on January 21.
They pretended to be visiting hotel workers to receive shots of the Moderna vaccine from a mobile clinic, but they rumbled before they could fly home.
The Bakers were fined C $ 2 300 (US $ 1 800) for violating the Covid rules, but community elders are demanding a harsher punishment.
The couple could now face jail time.
The women had their CDC card from the first dose. It is unclear how they first approached officials (file image)