Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Monday announced that the Florida Health Department will be the first to go against the CDC in advising against the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children.
“The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children,” Ladapo said, per Just the News.
DeSantis echoed the decision at a press conference later in the day.
“The data that’s coming in on this is showing for healthy kids very little benefit in terms of what the vaccine is doing and that’s weighed against the fact that they’re at very, very low risk," DeSantis said.
“Individuals can make their own decision… but I think the data is in line with what the surgeon general recommended,” he added.
Indeed, the advice contradicts the CDC as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, both of whom recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for all children age 5 or older.
"CDC recommends everyone ages 5 years and older get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19," the agency's website reads.