New York teacher arrested for allegedly administering COVID vaccine to 17-year-old

A teacher in New York ha been arrested for allegedly illegally administering what investigators believe was a COVID vaccine to a 17-year-old boy.

Laura Russo, 54, of Sea Cliff, Long Island, allegedly gave the vaccine Friday in her home without the permission of the boy's parents. After the boy returned home, the mother called the police and Russo was arrested shortly thereafter.

Russo, who taught science at Herricks High School, according to a bio on the school's website (though the page is no-longer-active), is not a a medical professional or authorized to administer vaccines.

The school's superintendent said Tuesday that "the individual in question is a district employee who has been removed from the classroom and reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation," adding that the issue is "non-school related."

Russo is due to return to court on Jan. 21. She has been charged with the unauthorized practice of a profession. It is unclear how she obtained an injectable dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.