Laura Russo, a New York-based teacher, allegedly injected a 17-year-old with a COVID-19 vaccine without proper approval or consent from the minor’s parents, according to law enforcement officials. The 54-year-old was later arrested. 

Nassau County’s police officials said in a press release on Monday that Russo was arrested on New Year’s Eve. According to media reports, the minor was visiting Russo when he was given what was believed to be a COVID vaccine.

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According to reports from BBC, Russo is heard saying,  “You will be fine, I hope. Here you go. At-home vaccine” while injecting the alleged vaccine.

It is unclear if the injected substance was actually a COVID vaccine, its brand, or how Russo obtained it, NBC reported. Currently, only Pfizer’s COVID vaccine has been approved by United States health regulators for those below the age of 18.

Law enforcement officials said that Russo had not been authorised to administer vaccines and is also not a trained medical professional. “The mother had not given permission or authority to have her son injected with a COVID vaccine,” the department said, according to reports from NBC News.

The department revealed in the press release that Russo had been charged with New York State Education Law Unauthorized Practice of a Profession and had been placed under arrest without incident. She has also been reassigned from the classroom pending the outcome of the investigation, NBC reported.

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In a statement released after the incident, the school district said that the act had no connection to the school she worked at, shrugging off responsibility.

“The individual in question is a district employee who has been removed from the classroom and reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation,” the district said, according to reports from NBC News.