Democracy Dies in Darkness

DeSantis discourages latest covid boosters, contradicting federal guidance

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September 14, 2023 at 12:12 a.m. EDT
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a campaign stop in Manchester, N.H., last month. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
3 min

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the state’s surgeon general are warning residents under age 65 against the new coronavirus booster, going against the advice of federal health officials who have recommended the shots.

In a call live-streamed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo repeated comments made in a live event last week in Jacksonville, Fla., and argued there isn’t enough evidence that the booster’s benefits outweigh any risks. “I will not stand by and let the FDA and CDC use healthy Floridians as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not been proven to be safe or effective,” DeSantis said in a statement after the call with Ladapo and other doctors, which opened with the title “No way FDA.”