In a move contradicting CDC recommendations, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo have advised against updated COVID-19 vaccines for those below 65 years of age. Florida’s leaders are saying there’s not enough evidence the new COVID booster provides benefits that outweigh risks. DeSantis has described the shot as ‘hastily-approved’ and doesn’t want people to be used as ‘guinea pigs.’
On a recent panel featuring several medical professionals who have expressed reservations about the COVID vaccine, Ladapo raised eyebrows with his claims on the booster, stating:
“We continue to live in a world where the CDC and the [Food and Drug Administration], when it comes to COVID at least, are just beating their own path in a direction that’s inexplicable in terms of thinking about data and in thinking about common sense,”
“With virtually every walking human being having some degree of immunity, and the questions we have about safety, and about effectiveness — especially about safety — my judgment is that it’s not a good decision for young people, and for people who are not at high risk at this point in the pandemic,”
The CDC had advocated for updated COVID-19 vaccinations for everyone aged 6 months and up.
