The Italian dentist who had made headlines earlier this month after attempting to use fake, foam arms to get his Covid-19 vaccine has had an apparent change of heart.
The former dentist, Dr. Guido Russo, told an Italian talk show that he has since been vaccinated and praised vaccines as “the only weapon we have against this terrible disease.” However, there is no official confirmation that Russo has been vaccinated.
During an interview, Russo addressed the stunt saying that he hadn’t intended to defraud the Italian government but was instead making a personal protest against the country’s vaccine mandates/
Italy was the first country in Europe to require vaccines for all healthcare workers, and under new rules, employees like teachers, police officers, and other hospital staff, will be required to show proof of vaccination to keep their jobs.
Russo had reportedly been suspended from his job for refusing to get the vaccine.
As previously reported, Russo showed up to his vaccination appointment wearing two rubber foam arms under a theatre corset. The administering nurse said in an interview that she instantly noticed a small gap between his shirt and the foam arm when he sat down and prepared for the jab.
“The colour of the arm made me suspicious and so I asked the man to uncover the rest of his left arm. It was well made but it wasn’t the same colour,” the nurse said.
The nurse told media outlets she initially believed Russo was an amputee who had accidentally presented his incorrect arm to her, before she realized he was trying to dupe her.
But Russo, who could face criminal charges for the stunt, told Italian media he was not anti-vaccine and had received all of his childhood vaccinations. He added that he had since gotten the shot because “the system obliged me to.”
Sources: Business Insider, Yahoo
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