On March 7, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeathSantis‘s mouthpiece, Surgeon general Joseph Lapado recommended against children being vaccinated for COVID-19. As he put it, “the Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children.” He justified this insane stance with concerns about possible side affects that are pushed by anti-vax groups.
Ladapo’s announcement contradicted guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) which says all people over age 5 should get vaccinated.
Dr. Tina Carroll-Scott, medical director at South Miami Children’s Clinic, blasted Ladapo’s verbal directive on Monday, calling it “irresponsible and incorrect.”
This goes against the Florida’s Department of Health’s new guidance issued on March 8. 2022 which does not recommend against the shots for kids.
“The known risks of Covid-19 illness and its related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death, far outweigh the potential risks of having a rare adverse reaction to vaccination, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis,” the CDC’s website says. The CDC has been monitoring reports of myocarditis, and found that cases of the condition “have rarely been reported, especially in adolescents and young adult males within several days after” vaccination.
DeathSantis himself went on to scold children for wearing masks at one of his press briefings, making it clear he doesn’t feel it is a parent’s right to decide if their child wears a mask, it is his choice that they not be protected. DeathSantis knows best.