ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not saying whether he will get a booster shot for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine he received in the spring, a spokesperson said.
It’s also unknown whether the Republican governor will hold any events at vaccination sites to promote the boosters.
“Gov. DeSantis chose to get the COVID-19 vaccine several months ago, after his age group became eligible,” spokesperson Christina Pushaw said. “As he has said, he made that choice because of evidence that getting vaccinated lowers an individual’s risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus. But the right choice for him, or even for most people, is not necessarily the right choice for everyone.”
Pushaw added, “I do not have any details to share about the governor’s personal medical decisions.
“As the governor has said, each person should be able to make his or her own informed choices,” she said. “Anyone who has questions or concerns about COVID-19 vaccination or booster shots should consult with a health care provider.”
Last week, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration recommended emergency use authorization for booster shots for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The FDA also recommended a third Pfizer shot for the elderly and immunocompromised in September, and approval for a Moderna booster could be days away.
DeSantis received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which required only one shot for initial effectiveness, in early April. He did not publicize his shot as other governors and officeholders did, instead announcing it after the fact.
Since his blitz of events at vaccination sites promoting the shots over the winter and early spring, DeSantis has not held a vaccine-specific event since expanding eligibility to the vaccine to all ages in April.
DeSantis later sharply criticized the FDA’s decision to pause Johnson & Johnson shots in mid-April due to a possible risk of blood clotting in young women.
“I don’t think people should be freaking out,” he said on April 13. “I got J&J. I think my arm was sore for 45 minutes. And then that was that. So I think the track record thus far in Florida has been good.”
The next month, DeSantis was even more critical, saying that the decision caused people to question the effectiveness of the vaccine.
“The way the federal government’s handled the Johnson & Johnson has been a total disaster,” he said in May. “It scared a lot of people unnecessarily.”
Since then, though, DeSantis himself has begun to downplay the vaccines’ effectiveness, saying at a Regeneron clinic opening in Orlando in August that “the vaccines are helping to reduce severe outcomes, [but] not protecting against transmission to the extent that we had hoped.”
He also has made opposition to vaccine mandates a primary focus, backing a new law that allows the state to levy or threaten fines for local governments, agencies or businesses that require “vaccine passports.”
DeSantis also chose Joseph Ladapo as the state’s new surgeon general. Ladapo has written several op-eds in The Wall Street Journal, including “Are Covid Vaccines Riskier Than Advertised?,” “Vaccine Mandates Can’t Stop Covid’s Spread” and “An American Epidemic of ‘Covid Mania.’”
The shift in rhetoric comes as anti-vaccination sentiment has become increasingly vocal among a segment of Republican voters DeSantis would likely need if he runs for president in 2024. Polls have shown Republicans are among the largest demographics who say they’re either skeptical or refuse to get the vaccine, and former President Donald Trump was booed in August when he told rallygoers to get the vaccine.
Asked if DeSantis would hold any new events to promote booster shots, Pushaw said she had nothing to preview at this time.
She said Florida was above the national average in vaccination rates, adding that Floridians “are aware of the COVID-19 vaccines and have been able to access the vaccines for months. … Today, COVID-19 vaccines are available in almost every chain pharmacy in the state, and many seniors have already received their booster shots because it’s so convenient now.”
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