The Democrats won’t stop going after Ron DeSantis.
But their attacks have only made him stronger.
And Jen Psaki immediately regretted picking this one fight with Governor Ron DeSantis.
Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s new Surgeon General, recently announced that Florida would be the first state in the nation to go against the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidance by not recommending healthy children ages 5 to 11 get vaccinated for COVID.
“The Florida Department of Health is going be the first State to officially recommend AGAINST the Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children.” –@FLSurgeonGen Joseph Ladapo pic.twitter.com/rPDpe1dltY
— Chris Nelson (@ReOpenChris) March 7, 2022
During his announcement, Dr. Ladapo referenced a study published by the New York Department of Health showing infection for children declined during the Omicron surge.
The same study also found that vaccine efficacy dropped from a low 68 percent to an even lower 12 percent.
“We’re kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel — particularly with healthy kids — in terms of actually being able to quantify with any accuracy and any confidence the even potential of benefit,” Dr. Ladapo stated.
Quite simply Dr. Ladapo says since young and healthy children are at the lowest risk for a bad outcome with COVID, there’s not enough data to show that the benefits outweigh the potential negative side effects from the vaccine.
Later that afternoon, during a White House press briefing, Jen Psaki was asked to comment on Florida’s decision, which she quickly denounced.
“Absolutely not,” Psaki began. “Let me just note that we know the science, we know the data and what works and what the most effective steps are in protecting people of a range of ages from hospitalization and even death. The FDA and the CDC have already weighed in on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for those 5 and older.”
According to Psaki, not recommending the vaccine was “peddling conspiracy theories.”
“It’s deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubts on vaccinations when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized,” Psaki added.
However, the FDA’s own advisory panel expressed concerns over states forcing young children to get vaccinated for COVID.
“I do think that it’s a relatively close call… but we’re never going to learn about how safe the vaccine is until we start giving it,” FDA advisor Eric Rubin stated.
“We cannot see the effects of COVID-19 so dramatically on children, and thus it raises the question: is it worth the risk? Giving parents the option to make that decision for themselves will be something we will be glad we were able to do,” FDA advisor Dr. Oveta Fuller said at the time.
Florida isn’t alone in the world, as several European countries came to the same conclusion after looking at the same data.
DeSantis is simply leading by following the science.
And the Democrats despise him for it.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
