Teacher Goes to Jail for Injecting Teenager With COVID-19 Vaccine Without Authorization

A teacher from Long Island has landed in jail for administering a COVID-19 vaccine on a 17-year-old student without the consent of his parents.

Laura Parker Russo, a biology teacher at Herricks High School, was investigated and arrested by Nassau County police after the teenager's mother complained about what she did. Russo, who does not have any medical background, allegedly injected a Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine dose at her home on New Year's Day.

A viral video of the teacher vaccinating the teen has spread online. It showed Russo sticking a needle on her student's arm and then telling him that he was done with his at-home vaccine.

The Health Risk of At-Home Vaccine

Dr. Audie Liametz of NYU Langone said in an interview with CBS New York that at-home vaccine is not authorized, especially without proper training. Those who inject the vaccine have to know how to draw up the dose into a sterilized syringe and then expel the dose through the needle properly.

A COVID-19 vaccine administered incorrectly might not protect the individual from the virus. Worse, Russo might have accessed a counterfeit vaccine or an expired dose that has unknown substances that will endanger the individual. It's still unclear how the teacher got hold of the vaccine, given that J & J has no approval for vaccination below 18 years old. Only Pfizer vaccines have FDA approval for younger age groups, but it's self-administered or done at home as well.

Russo is married to realtor John Russo, and they have six children. The Russo family's neighbors expressed surprise over her arrest.

One neighbor said that what she did could send panic once people learn that there are false vaccinations. Another neighbor said that she was shocked, and she didn't know how it was possible for Russo to have a vaccine without authorization.

According to reports, the 17-year-old student was not monitored after the vaccine, which should have been the standard operating procedure. After learning of Russo's actions, the school removed the teacher from her classroom assignments as they awaited her case's outcome.

Consequences for Unauthorized Vaccination

The school released a statement confirming that one of its employees is charged for violating the New York State Education Law Unauthorized Practice of a Profession. She is due to face court on Friday, January 21. If convicted, Russo could be slapped with a four-year prison time.

Mount Sinai South Nassau chief Dr. Aaron Glatt said that apart from the illegal act, a non-professional without training will not know what to do if a complication should arise after the jab. There are more severe consequences to consider with an "amateur injection," and Glatt said it was "not the smart thing to do."