Italian anti-vaxxer tries to get COVID jab in fake arm to obtain 'Vaccine Passport'

As Italy tightens its COVID-19 measures for the country's unvaccinated population, an Italian man turned up at a vaccination centre wearing a fake arm made of silicone, hoping to bluff a medical practitioner into jabbing him. The anti-vaxxer got caught after a health worker suspiciously touched the silicone and asked him to roll up his sleeves. However, the man started begging the nurse to provide him with a vaccination passport, reported The Mirror. 

The incident was immediately reported to local authorities, and the man is likely to face critical charges. The unidentified man was also interviewed before he unveiled his fake arm. He also signed a consent form in front of the doctor. After Italy tightened COVID-19 restrictions, unvaccinated people are not allowed to move outside freely.

"This case borders on the ridiculous, except we are talking about an act of enormous gravity, unacceptable in the face of the sacrifice this pandemic is making the whole community pay," the president of the Piedmont regional governmen, Albert Cirio, told the UK-based news website. 

Cirio stated that anti-vaxxers will "now have to answer to justice" for using such fake tactics to prevent being inoculated. He also thanked medical workers who have been tirelessly working in the nation's vaccination drive and who have caught the scam. The man was trying to get a "Vaccine Passport" without being inoculated as Italy is imposing strict rules for the unvaccinated as cases continue to surge in Europe.

COVID-19: Italian Green Pass to come into force on Dec 6

Notably, the Italian Green Pass will come into force on 6 December 2021, and the green pass will be given to only those who are fully vaccinated. With the implementation of the new rule, those who are unvaccinated will not be allowed in spaces such as restaurants, theatres, bars, cinemas, gyms, and clubs, among others. Earlier, the unvaccinated were allowed to enter these places just by showing a negative COVID-19 test report taken within the past 48 hours, but with the implementation of the new rule, this will be phased out. COVID cases in Italy are on the rise. The country has reported over 16,800 fresh COVID cases in the last 24 hours, followed by 72 deaths, as per the data shared by John Hopkins.