Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration contradicts the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the new COVID-19 booster shots that are advised to be given to people younger than 65.
Despite the health agency's recommendations, the state's health officials are advising people in the age group not to get the new vaccine booster. The new shots are being advised due to the rise in infections across the United States.
Florida Contradicts CDC Recommendations
The DeSantis administration advised against the new shots on Wednesday, with the governor saying that he would not stand by and let the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC use healthy Floridians as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not yet been proven to be safe or effective.
The Republican lawmaker added that his state is the first in the United States to stand up and provide guidance based on truth and not Washington edict. During a panel discussion on Wednesday, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the state's new vaccine guidelines, as per Yahoo News.
Ladapo argued that officials approved the new COVID-19 booster shot without "meaningful" clinical trial data performed in humans and without necessary proof that it is safe or effective. He added that at this point, with the amount of immunity already in the community, he judges that injecting young people and those not at risk is not a good decision.
Stanford professor Jay Bhattacharya also attended the roundtable and said that the health agency's statement on the new COVID-19 booster is "absolutely not supported yet." He said that while he is not saying that the statement is untrue, it is still unknown.
The CDC's recommendation came this week and urges all Americans six months and older to get the COVID-19 booster shot. By Friday, the shots will be available by leading pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna.
Ladapo previously issued warnings against COVID-19 vaccines, which prompted a public letter from federal health agencies that said his claims were harmful to the public. The letter, which the FDA and the CDC signed, notes that it is the job of public health officials across the nation to protect the lives of the populations that they serve, according to the Associated Press.
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Dangerous Opposing Stance
The medical professional received his medical degree and a Ph.D. in health policy from Harvard University. He previously worked as a doctor and health policy researcher at UCLA when DeSantis appointed him in September 2021. Since then, he has attracted national scrutiny over his close alignment with the Republican governor's opposing stance on COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other health policies.
The CDC said on Tuesday that vaccination remains the best protection against the coronavirus and preventing hospitalization and deaths related to the disease. Additionally, vaccination reduces people's chances of suffering the effects of long COVID.
On Wednesday, CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen retaliated against criticism and opposition to the latest recommendations. She noted that Florida's move was "dangerous," adding that Americans must get updated COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the fall and winter seasons, said NBC News.
Related Article: FDA Approves New Vaccines From Pfizer, Moderna
