Florida to recommend against vaccinating healthy kids against COVID, state surgeon general announces


Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced Monday that his state would be breaking with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and advising against COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children ages 5 and older, The Miami Herald and Politico report.
The decision was announced during a roundtable with Ladapo, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), and "medical professionals who oppose much of the CDC's recommendations," Politico notes.
Ladapo did not elaborate on the choice, though he did say his recommendation will be the first of its kind in the country, write Politico and the Herald. Per The Associated Press, it's not immediately clear when Florida might formalize the guidance.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Sunshine State's surgeon general has previously been "an outspoken critic of pandemic-era safety measures such as quarantines, wearing face masks, and vaccines," writes Politico. His approach and strategy toward the pandemic match that of DeSantis.
University of Florida professor and former CDC infectious disease specialist Dr. Sonja Rasmussen told AP she's worried Ladapo's latest guidance might undermine recommendations from other health officials.
"I'm really concerned that this is going to make parents question what they are hearing from every other source — pediatricians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC,'' Rasmussen said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6
-
Trump DOJ charging House Democrat in ICE fracas
speed read Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault over a clash outside an immigration detention facility in Newark
-
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
speed read The diagnosis hits close to home, as the former president 'dedicated much of his later career to cancer research'
-
Supreme Court weighs court limits amid birthright ban
speed read President Trump's bid to abolish birthright citizenship has sparked questions among federal judges about blocking administration policies
-
Gabbard fires intelligence chiefs after Venezuela report
speed read Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top two officials leading the National Intelligence Council
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group