New Zealand Man Reportedly Paid to Get Up to 10 Covid Vaccines In One Day
Photo by THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP via Getty Images.
A man in New Zealand who reportedly received up to 10 Covid vaccines in a day on behalf of others is under investigation by the country’s Ministry of Health, Newsweek reported.
Reports indicate that the unnamed man was paid by multiple individuals to pretend to be them while obtaining a vaccine, in an effort to avoid vaccination requirements.
According to the Guardian, individuals in New Zealand must provide a health care worker with their name, date of birth, and address, but no other proof of identification is required.
Astrid Koornneef, the group manager operations for the ministry’s Covid vaccination program, told Newsweek in a statement that health officials were “aware of this issue” and were “taking this matter very seriously.”
“To assume another person’s identity and receive a medical treatment is dangerous,” Koornneef said. “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.”
While the dangers of receiving 10 doses of the vaccine — especially in that short of a timeframe — are unknown, Koorneef told Newsweek that anyone who has “had more vaccine doses than recommended” should “seek clinical advice as soon as practicable.”
In Rome, a distracted nurse accidentally gave a woman six doses of the vaccine in a single shot; a Virginia teenage reported the same thing happening to her at a CVS in Virginia. Reports indicate both women were fine and experienced no adverse reactions related to the amount.
At the time of the Rome incident, Dr. Antonella Vicenti noted to CBS News that Pfizer studies found that people given up to five times the dosage did not experience adverse reactions, nor did patients in Israel and Germany who had accidentally been given five times the normal dosage.
New Zealand has implemented stringent Covid protocols, which include requiring vaccinations for employees who have close contact with customers at restaurants, gyms, bars, and salons. The country currently boasts a high vaccination rate, with 89% of the eligible population fully vaccinated (or 75% of the total population).
