Shock moment teacher Laura Parker Russo ‘injects teen, 17, with Covid vaccine’ despite having no medical qualification
SHOCKING footage shows a Long Island teacher giving her son's 17-year-old friend what was allegedly a Covid-19 vaccine, at home, and without his parents' permission.
The teacher, Laura Parker Russo, was reportedly arrested, and an investigation into the origin of the shot is underway.
Video shows Russo cleaning the injection site, then sticking the needle into the teen's arm, while the boy says "There you go, at-home vaccine."
The biology teacher does not have any medical training, and it's unclear where she sourced the shot, which was reportedly a Johnson & Johnson dose.
While the Johnson & Johnson shot was approved for adults, it's not intended for use on those under the age of 18.
Vaccine effectiveness & Omicron
Expert studies have shown that the risk of severe illness from Covid-19 is reduced by 90 percent or more among people who are fully vaccinated.
While there are breakthrough cases of Covid among people who are vaccinated, they are rare.
In the event of a breakthrough case, victims are highly unlikely to be hospitalized with severe or deadly symptoms from the virus.
Health officials have advised that the Omicron variant is more infectious and could lead to further breakthrough cases.
Yet the spread can be offset by all vaccinated Americans receiving a booster shot.
Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant.
With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death.
Studies have also shown that side effects from the vaccine are extremely rare.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Physicians warn that a vaccine administered at home, from a non-medical professional, may not be the brand the person intended to use, or may not be a Covid-19 vaccine at all.
Dr. Audie Liametz, the vice-chair of the emergency department at NYU Langone, spoke to a local affiliate and warned against administering a vaccine at home, without proper training.
“You have to draw up the medication into a sterile syringe with a needle and expel some of the air and give the injection properly,” Liametz said.
If the dose is expired or administered incorrectly, it may not provide any protection against Omicron or other Covid-19 variants.
A counterfeit vaccine or expired dose could contain unknown substances and put the user at risk.
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The teenager also reportedly wasn't monitored by medical staff following the injection, which is vital with all vaccines in case of allergic reaction.
The district superintendent told CBS that Russo has been removed from the classroom and reassigned while police investigate.
The 17-year-old boy who received the shot told his mother upon arriving home.
The mother, who did not give permission for her son to receive the shot, went to the police, and an investigation began on New Year's Day.
Russo's family has not provided comments on the incident.
Russo will appear in court on January 21.
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