A 50-year-old Italian man tried to pass off a fake silicone arm at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in northern Italy, in an attempt to get a vaccine certificate without actually getting inoculated.

The man has since been reported to police in the northern city of Biella.

Alberto Cirio, the regional governor, described the silicone on the prosthetic arm as looking “very similar” to real skin, however, “the colour and touch raised the suspicion of the health worker, who asked him to show the whole arm.”

In a Facebook post, Cirio added “The incident would border on the ridiculous, were it not for the fact that we are talking about an extremely serious act.”

The Ansa news agency reported that the man worked in the health sector and has been suspended from his job following his trickery and refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

In Italy, the coronavirus jab is a mandatory requirement for all health workers.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Italy has confirmed 5,077,445 cases and 134,077 deaths.