TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced in October that young men should not get the COVID-19 vaccine, guidance that runs counter to medical advice issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
His recommendation — based on a state analysis that showed the risk of cardiac-related deaths after receiving a vaccine increased significantly for some age groups — has been criticized by experts including professors and epidemiologists at the University of Florida where Ladapo is employed as a professor.
Now, draft versions of the analysis obtained by the Tampa Bay Times through Florida’s public records law show that recommendation was made despite the state also having data indicating that catching COVID-19 raised the risk of cardiac-related deaths by at least five times more than the vaccine.
