Two women who dressed up to show themselves as older adults to receive coronavirus vaccines were turned away and issued trespass warnings in Orlando, officials said.
Dr. Raul Pino, the state health official in Orange County – where Orlando is located – said the women confronted them Wednesday with caps, gloves and glasses.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Michelle Guido told the Orlando Sentinel that women changed their birth years on their immunization records to bypass the state system, which prioritises people age 65 and older. The women seemed to get the first sight, but it was not clear where.
“Their names matched their record but they did not have their dates of birth,” she told the newspaper.
Department of Health officials have asked delegates to issue three-charge warnings.
In a video released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, a messenger is heard saying, “You have stolen a vaccine from someone who needs it more than you.”
Guido said the warning means they cannot return to the contract center for any reason – including vaccination, COVID-19 test, assembly or demonstration. If they return, they could be arrested.
Pino said the Department of Health’s investigation will try to find out where they got the vaccine earlier and how they managed to get a prescription. He said the department will “try to find out if there are any holes, any gaps, in the process that allow people to do that.”