A Long Island biology teacher is facing felony charges after allegedly administering a COVID-19 vaccination to a 17-year-old student in her home.
According to the Nassau Police Department in New York, 54-year-old Laura Park Russo injected the teenager with the vaccine despite reportedly having no medical qualifications to do so. Afterward, the boy went home and told his mother, who alerted authorities about Russo’s actions.
“The mother had not given permission or authority to have her son injected with a Covid Vaccine and called police,” the police department said. After a thorough investigation, police said, they found out Russo “is not a medical professional or authorized to administer vaccines.”
Russo, who worked at Herricks High School at the time of the incident, was arrested on New Year’s Eve. She was charged with unauthorized practice of a profession, which carries up to four years in prison, if she’s convicted.
Superintendent Fino Celano of Herricks Public Schools told The Washington Post that Russo has been reprimanded for her actions.
“The individual in question is a district employee who has been removed from the classroom and reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation,” Celano said.
“As this is a matter of personnel, the district has no further comment,” he added.