US authorities arrested a Chicago pharmacist on Tuesday August 17 for selling dozens of official cards on eBay showing proof of a Covid-19 vaccination, the Department of Justice said.
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Tangtang Zhao sold 125 cards from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the country's main federal health authority, for $ 10 each, according to the ministry. Tangtang Zhao worked in an unidentified drugstore chain; he had access to these cards which are provided to anyone receiving a coronavirus vaccine. These documents are all the more important as more and more businesses, workplaces and public events require proof of vaccination from their employees or customers.
The pharmacist has been charged with 12 counts of theft of public property and faces 10 years in prison for each count. "
We take seriously and will vigorously investigate any breach that contributes to mistrust around vaccines and immunization status
," senior ministry official Kenneth Polite said in a statement.