A New York woman, with no medical qualifications, was arrested after administering a COVID-19 vaccine to a 17-year-old boy sans his mother’s permission.
Laura Parker Russo, 54, allegedly administered the vaccine on New Year’s Eve and was subsequently arrested by Nassau County Police, ABC 7 reported.
The teen then went home and told his mother what happened. His mother had not given permission or authority to have her son receive the vaccine and immediately called police.
After an investigation, officials discovered that Russo is not a medical professional or authorized to administer vaccines.
Russo was then placed under arrest, and is charged with unauthorized practice of a profession.
It is not the first time an adult has been accused of administering the vaccine to a minor with no parental consent.
The mother of a 13-year-old boy in California claimed in December that someone at his school signed for him to get a COVID-19 vaccine sans the mom’s permission and he was given the jab.
She said he came home from school and informed his mom that he had been vaccinated, by showing her his vaccine card, after he was offered pizza in exchange for getting vaccinated.
“It hurt to know he got a shot without my permission, without knowing and without signing any papers for him to get the shot,” Maribel Duarte said to NBC Los Angeles
She said that she is vaccinated and is not anti-vaccine.
She said that the person who signed for him said, “Please don’t say anything. I don’t want to get in trouble.”
The LAUSD says student matters are confidential and wouldn’t comment specifically, but did say its “safe schools to safe steps incentive program” is meant to ensure several steps are in place for vaccinated students to receive prizes. Duarte says she’s not against the vaccine. She’s vaccinated herself, but it’s different with her son….
In California, school vaccines are handled through the state Department of Public Health and created into law through the state legislature.
The LAUSD says as of the Thanksgiving break, 80% of eligible students at Obama Prep have been vaccinated…
The LAUSD has mandated a Jan. 10 vaccination for all students age 12 and above. Those who don’t get it and don’t have a legal exemption, will be forced back into virtual, online learning.
“The LAUSD does not have the power to add a vaccine to the California school schedule,” Jennifer Kennedy, an attorney who is following cases against the school district, said. “You couldn’t do it if you were a po-dunk school district and you can’t do it if you’re LAUSD, the second largest district in the nation. You don’t have that legal authority.”
A spokesperson for the school district said to Fox News Digital on Monday that it was “currently unable to confirm that this incident occurred at Barack Obama Global Preparation Academy.”
“With the Jan. 10, 2022, student vaccination deadline approaching, the District introduced the Safe Schools to Safe Steps Incentive Program throughout Los Angeles Unified Schools,” they said. “This program offers incentives to families who upload proof of their vaccine, have an approved medical exemption, or have conditional admissions.”
