A 50-year-old man tried to pass off a silicone arm as his own at a Covid-19 vaccination clinic in northern Italy, in an attempt to get a vaccine certificate without actually getting inoculated.
The deception was spotted by a nurse, Filippa Bua, as she was about to administer the vaccine in Biella, Piedmont on Thursday. Bua told CNN she noticed something odd about the arm.
“The color of the skin was anomalous, much lighter compared to the hands or the face of the patient,” she said. After inspecting the area, she realized that the arm was fake, made of silicone. Daily News stated: “But then he admitted he was wearing the fake arm on purpose to avoid getting the vaccine!” continued Bua, a nurse since 1987, whose surprise quickly turned to anger.
“I felt professionally offended. He showed no respect for our intelligence and our profession.” Biella’s health department filed a complaint with the local prosecutor’s office, according to the outlet. Piedmont is one of the few areas in Europe with a current COVID-19 infection rate below 1%,
according to a map from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control Cirio tweeted this week. Italy last month made the COVID-19 “super green pass” mandatory to enter venues like bars, restaurants and theaters, allowing only those who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from the virus to enter.
