Florida Surgeon General says people under 65 should not get new COVID vaccine despite CDC guidance

Floridians under 65 should not get the new COVID-19 vaccines, according to a controversial new recommendation Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced Thursday afternoon.

The guidance runs counter to that issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just one day before when the federal agency recommended the vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. The updated vaccine, which is tailored to better protect against Omicron variants circulating now, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week.

Ladapo, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, announced his recommendation at a Tallahassee round table discussion attended by the governor. It comes as cases of COVID-19 in Florida have risen over the summer, although they remain far below those the state recorded during surges of both the Delta and Omicron variant that has continued to mutate.

“I will not stand by and let the (Food and Drug Administration) and (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) use healthy Floridians as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not been proven to be safe or effective,” DeSantis said in a news statement “Once again, Florida is the first state in the nation to stand up and provide guidance based on truth, not Washington edicts.”

Ladapo’s recommendation states that the new booster was approved without “meaningful” clinical trial data performed in humans. “the federal government has failed to provide sufficient data to support the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine,” it states.

But it does not rule out the vaccine for Floridians 65 and older, instead stating that they should discuss the vaccine with their health care provider.

The federal guidance highlights that COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, provide protection against severe COVID-19 symptoms that can result in hospitalization.

___________