ORLANDO, Fla. — In the wake of federal health officials’ harshest criticism yet of their anti-COVID vaccine views, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis persisted Thursday in claiming the “mRNA jabs” are worthless at best and even dangerous, despite an abundance of evidence to the contrary.
Their comments at an event in Winter Haven come as Florida now has one of the lowest rates of boosted seniors over 65, according to CDC data from March 8. The state once led the nation in its efforts to vaccinate seniors, with DeSantis leading the charge.
On Thursday, DeSantis previewed what he would do if he was in charge of another pandemic in the future, which would be to protect businesses and the economy while the government’s role would be to “make recommendations” but not mandate restrictions.
