The man is believed to have been paid money to get the jabs on behalf of other people.
Health authorities in New Zealand have opened an official investigation following reports that one man received up to 10 vaccine shots in one day.
It is understood that the unnamed man in question received the vaccination doses on behalf of other people in a bid to challenge restrictions currently facing the country’s unvaccinated population.
“We are very concerned about this situation and are working with the appropriate agencies,” said Astrid Koornneef of New Zealand’s Ministry of Health.
According to Stuff, the man is believed to have visited multiple immunisation centres and was paid a sum of money to get the jabs.
Police authorities in New Zealand had previously warned of the potential of people assuming another individual’s identity in order to commit fraud.
To receive a vaccine, a person must provide their name, date of birth and physical address.
No further identification is required.
“Medical practitioners operate in a high-trust environment and rely on people to act in good faith to share information accurately to assist with their treatment,” a Ministry of Health spokesperson told Stuff in October.
“People who do not have a form of photo identification are disproportionately people in vulnerable groups – homeless or transient, the elderly, the young, people with disabilities – and we don’t want to create barriers to their vaccination,” they added.
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