Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has launched a sensational attack on the new Covid booster vaccines, urging Floridians under 65 not to take them.
The Republican presidential candidate claimed the shots “have not been proven safe or effective” and accused the CDC of “using healthy Floridians as guinea pigs.”
Despite the strong rhetoric, Florida’s move to limit vaccines for healthy young and middle-aged people is not unprecedented; countries like Great Britain are doing the same with their fall campaign.
DeSantis attracted fans during the pandemic for his tough stance on Covid lockdowns and mandates, but has recently been criticized for promoting faulty vaccine data.
After holding a vaccine panel Wednesday, DeSantis said, “I will not stand by and let the FDA and CDC use healthy Florida patients as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not been proven to be safe or effective.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launched a sensational attack on the new Covid booster vaccines
“Once again, Florida is the first state in the nation to stand up and lead based on the truth, not Washington’s edicts.”
The comments placed DeSantis firmly to the right of rival and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who led the development of the mRNA Covid vaccines.
An estimated 96 percent of Americans now have antibodies against Covid, due to a previous infection or vaccination, making the disease increasingly mild for most people.
The low risk of serious disease has reduced the need for vaccines among young people, but experts say they remain vital for the elderly or chronically ill.
Dr. Paul Offit, one of the FDA’s vaccine advisers, previously told DailyMail.com that a general vaccination strategy is “low risk, low reward.”
Britain has stopped recommending boosters for middle-aged and young Britons, but taxpayers there have been footing the bill, which may have played a role in that decision.
Leading the vaccine discussion in Florida on Wednesday was Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the state’s vaccine-skeptical surgeon general, who was picked by Governor DeSantis in 2021.
Dr. Lapado also promoted the false claim that there was ‘not a drop of clinical trial data’ supporting the new Covid vaccines.
He said after the roundtable: “Once again, the federal government is letting Americans down by refusing to be honest about the risks and not providing sufficient clinical evidence when it comes to these COVID-19 mRNA injections, especially given the widespread immunity now. .
“In Florida, we will always use common sense and protect the rights and freedoms of Floridians, including the right to accurate information.”
Dr. Ladapo has repeatedly endorsed the claim that Covid vaccines are causing widespread heart problems in young people, a link that has been repeatedly refuted by major studies.
The mRNA injections have been associated with a very small risk of myocarditis in young people, which affects around one in 30,000 under-40s after their second jab.
But cases are normally mild and go away on their own without medical intervention.
Covid infection is also more likely to cause myocarditis than the vaccines, studies indicate, which makes the issue even more nuanced.
And data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that cardiac mortality among Americans under 34 is similar to pre-pandemic levels.
The updated Covid shots, which were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just this week, are considered safe for anyone six months and older and are recommended for everyone in that age range.