A man in Italy who needed a Covid-19 vaccine but did not want the jab tried to fool medical personnel with a skin-like silicon sleeve under his clothes, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported on Sunday, citing police.
The incident occurred on Thursday in the northern town of Biella, according to the report.
"When I exposed his arm, I felt rubbery, cold skin, and the colour was too light," the nurse who discovered the ruse told the newspaper. When she asked for his other arm, she found a similar contraption.
That's when she reported the incident.
"We realized this was not a surreal situation, but a real attempt at fraud."
A dentist
The man, a dentist, allegedly does not believe in the vaccine, but required a certificate for work.
Alberto Cirio, president of the region of Piedmont, where Biella lies, wrote on Facebook that the case was no laughing matter. The situation in the region is serious, he added.
Files have been charged against the man and health authorities have said they plan to report the case to prosecutors.
