Two women in Florida posed as senior citizens in an effort to obtain the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, according to body camera footage released Friday.
According to Florida Department of Health Dr. Raul Pino, the would-be deceivers showed up at the Orange County Convention Center inoculation site on Wednesday “dressed up as grannies” in order to obtain their second dose of the highly sought after pharmaceutical.
“We haven’t had any lack of willing arms to get vaccinated,” Pino told local CBS affiliate WKMG. “We also have people faking to be old to be vaccinated. So yesterday we realized a couple of young ladies came dressed up as grannies to get vaccinated for the second time, so I don’t know how they escaped the first time but they came (to get) vaccinated. The bonnets, the gloves, the glasses — the whole thing and they probably were in their 20s.”
According to police, the pair was a bit older than that. One woman is said to be 34, while other is said to be 44.
“There were some issues with their IDs and their driver’s license, but I don’t know all the details about them,” Pino added.
Apparently, the women used their real names but used fake dates of birth. Eventually, law enforcement showed up.
“You know what you have done? You’ve stolen a vaccine from someone that needs it more than you and now you’re not going to get your second one,” a deputy can be heard telling the women. “So that’s a whole waste of time we just wasted here on this. So, we’re at that point right here but just for your selfishness of stealing a vaccine.”
Their names have not been released to the media and are unlikely to become part of the public record because the duo is not facing charges. No arrests were made and they were warned that their behavior could have been charged as trespassing.
“Okay, this is a trespass warning,” a sheriff’s deputy says on the footage. “You are hereby warned that you are not licensed or incited to be on these premises, and may be arrested if you refuse to leave or return at any time in the future at this building or the other buildings, the parking garage everything, anything on the whole property here. It’s ridiculous that you’re even here right now.”
One of the women then thanked the officers for their leniency and the failed vaccine-grabbers went on their way.
“It’s kind of hilarious to a sense, but it’s also a disappointing because they are taking the place that someone else could, in much higher need, could have had that place,” Pino said before the footage was released.
He also noted that he wasn’t aware how they were able to obtain their first dose—or if they even actually did.
“So part of the findings that we have to do is were they really vaccinated by us, when (they were) vaccinated, what happened, what date, what time to try to figure out if there are any holes, loopholes, in the process that are allowing people to do that,” the health department official added.
[image via Orange County Sheriff’s Office]
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