Police probing more cases of vaccination booklets’ theft

The Guyana Police Force is currently investigating several other cases of theft of COVID-19 vaccination booklet, according to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony.
Last month, two drivers attached to the Health Ministry were charged and remanded to prison for stealing the immunisation cards.
During Wednesday’s COVID-19 update, Dr Anthony said, “I am aware that there are eight or 10 other cases that the Police have been investigating. I’m sure, once those investigations are completed, those persons will be placed before the courts. We do get reports from people who would tell us that at this particular site, that people are forging or selling vaccination cards. When we do get those reports, we treat them very seriously and we ask the Police to investigate.”
The Minister has said he hopes members of the public would continue to help the Ministry unearth these wrongdoings. He went on to say that persons in possession of forged/stolen vaccination cards can put their health at risk, should they contract the deadly virus.
“One of the big challenges that we can potentially have is somebody who obtained a fake card, if they get sick with COVID-19 and they end up in the hospital. It can give us a false sense that this person was probably vaccinated when they never had a vaccine, to begin with. That can skew the results that we are getting, because we expect that persons who are vaccinated should be doing much better.”

Charged
Mark Samuels of Lot 276 South Ruimveldt, Georgetown was the last known person charged with stealing vaccination cards. The 31-year-old driver attached to the Health Ministry appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on August 30 and pleaded not guilty to the charge. It is alleged that between August 22 and August 23, at Brickdam, Georgetown, he broke into the vaccination centre of the Ministry of Health and stole 66 COVID-19 vaccination cards, valued at $1014. Samuels was remanded to prison for the offence.
It is alleged that during the period mentioned in the charge, a female nurse discovered that the lock on the cupboard in which the vaccination cards were stored was broken. Upon checking, the nurse noticed that the vaccination cards were missing, and immediately notified her supervisor, and the supervisor reported the matter to the Police.
Samuels was reportedly caught on CCTV footage entering the vaccination centre.
Earlier in August, 27-year-old Avinash Rameshwar, a driver attached to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, was also remanded to prison for allegedly stealing one dozen vaccination cards. The Lot 50 Goed Intent, West Bank Demerara resident was charged with simple larceny and forging an official document.

He was among the three men arrested by Police after they were caught with 12 blank and unstamped COVID-19 vaccine books, 17 stamped sick leave forms, and several pieces of medical equipment, including a stethoscope, sugar testing kit, and pressure testing kit.
Initially, the men were caught with four blank and unstamped COVID-19 vaccine booklets, but based on investigations, Police ranks went to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where a request was made to conduct a search on minibus PWW 3747, which is usually driven by Rameshwar.
During the search, ranks found seven blue blank COVID-19 booklets in a compartment between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. This was brought to their attention, but they bowed their heads and remained silent. The trio was arrested after two of them visited the Vreed-en-Hoop Health Centre, West Coast Demerara, and requested a female nurse to stamp the booklets.
The nurse checked the booklets and observed that they were all blank, and knowing that the men were not supposed to be in possession of them, she immediately brought the issue to the attention of her supervisor, who subsequently reported the matter to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.
As a result, the men were contacted and arrested.
During questioning, Police searched the motorcar belonging to one of the men and found a black and gold stethoscope, 17 blank sick leave forms which were all stamped with the West Demerara Regional Hospital stamp, and a COVID-19 booklet which was not stamped.
Police then went to the home of the man and conducted further searches, which unearthed one machine for testing pressure and a machine for sugar testing in his bedroom. He was questioned about the items, during which he claimed he had purchased them in Georgetown. However, he could not produce any receipt for them. Police said these items were immediately seized.
Police Headquarters, in a subsequent statement, said Rameshwar admitted that he would sometimes uplift the COVID-19 vaccination cards from the Health Ministry in Georgetown and take them to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, during which he stashed 12 of the booklets.

Full brunt of the law
Meanwhile, in light of reports of persons selling and forging COVID-19 vaccination cards, the Health Minister previously issued a stern warning that such persons would face the full brunt of the law. In doing so, he reminded that under Section 240 of the Criminal Offences Act, Chapter 8:01, forgery is an offence.
“…you can be prosecuted for forgery, and the fine, if you’re found guilty of forgery, would be up to three years’ imprisonment. And if you forge a vaccination card, you will be liable to this type of punishment if caught. So, I want to encourage people: desist from such practices, because when we catch you, you are going to feel the full brunt of the law,” the Health Minister declared.
He had gone on to say that the punishment, “…goes to the people who have access to the vaccination card, and the people who are buying the vaccination card.” (G1)