NZ investigating ’10 Covid jabs in a day’ scam
New Zealand authorities are investigating claims a man received 10 Covid-19 vaccination jabs in a single day on behalf of other people.
The Ministry of Health said it is looking into the ‘concerning’ matter.
The man took payment from anti-vaxxers to get vaccinations registered in their names.
Worryingly, Kiwis only need to show a name, date of birth and address, but not an official photo ID to get vaccinated.
"To assume another person’s identity and receive a medical treatment is dangerous. This puts at risk the person who receives a vaccination under an assumed identify and the person whose health record will show they have been vaccinated when they have not," Covid-19 vaccination spokesperson, Astrid Koornneef, said.
Local media reports the man visited several vaccination centres under different names.
According to Vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris, from the University of Auckland, it is not a one-off incident with other unconfirmed instances.
With no photo ID required, the system can easily be abused by ‘a small minority of people,’ she said.
"I think it is a very selfish act on the behalf of the buyer, and exploiting, perhaps, somebody who needed to get some money and is willing to take those risks, which is not very community minded."
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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