Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida came under fire from a Fox News medical expert Monday after he suggested those under 65 should skip getting COVID-19 booster shots.
DeSantis made the comments Wednesday during a virtual roundtable with Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Fox News reported. The Food and Drug Administration approved a new booster to target the latest variant of COVID-19 on Sept. 11.
“I will not stand by and let the FDA and CDC use healthy Floridians as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not been proven to be safe or effective,” DeSantis said during the event.
The mRNA vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer have reportedly been linked to increased myocarditis, particularly in young men, according to multiple studies. A study in Canada found that the Moderna vaccine caused at least twice as many cardiac-related side effects as the Pfizer vaccine. (RELATED: ‘Americans Be Damned’: Rand Paul Goes Ballistic On Senate Floor Over Vaccine, Mask Rules)
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“I think he did a great job at the beginning of the pandemic, with nursing homes, with keeping businesses open with keeping schools open — hurray for that, he should not be weighing in on vaccines,” Dr. Marc Siegel told “America’s Newsroom” co-host Dana Perino. “This particular vaccine is quite safe. It’s a tiny bit different than the previous one. It’s been looked at. Yes, the pharmaceutical companies should be more transparent.”
“I’m very confident in this vaccine,” Siegel continued. “But let me tell you where this vaccine decision should be made. Not at a governor pulpit, but in the doctor’s office. It shouldn’t be vilified.”
Florida launched a statewide grand jury investigation into the COVID-19 vaccines following a petition from DeSantis in December. Ladapo issued a warning in October regarding COVID-19 vaccines, claiming an increase in deaths due to cardiac issues among men between the ages of 18 and 39.
“This analysis found that there is an 84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination,” the Oct. 7 release from the Florida Department of Health said. “With a high level of global immunity to COVID-19, the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death among men in this age group. Non-mRNA vaccines were not found to have these increased risks.”
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