Police say people were fraudulently obtaining Covid-19 passes by receiving fake vaccinations in Palermo.
QUICK FACTS:
- Italian police have arrested a nurse in Palermo for allegedly pretending to give Covid-19 vaccines to activists opposing the jabs so they could receive official health certificates, which would permit them travel to bars, restaurants, and public transport in the country, The Guardian reports.
- Investigators used a hidden camera to film the 58-year-old female nurse working at an inoculation center in the Sicilian capital.
- A clip from the hidden camera recordings was released on Saturday on Twitter, showing the health worker apparently loading up a dose of Covid-19 vaccine and then emptying the syringe into a tissue before pretending to inject it into the activists’ arms, The Guardian goes on reporting.
- Police arrested the nurse on charges of forgery and embezzlement.
- The nurse is the second health worker from the same hospital in the city to end up in prison.
HOW MUCH ANTI-VACCINE ACTIVISTS WERE WILLING TO PAY:
- The Guardia reports that investigators revealed anti-vaccine protesters were willing to pay up to €300 (about $406) for the service in order to receive the so-called “super green pass,” introduced by the Italian government last December and required to access cinemas, gyms, nightclubs, and stadiums, as well as to be served indoors at bars and restaurants.
BACKGROUND:
- Dozens of health workers, including at least three doctors, have been charged or investigated on suspicion of administering fake jabs to people in recent months, The Guardian notes.
- An Italian nurse in Ancona was arrested for allegedly giving fake Covid vaccines to at least 45 people.
