Health Experts Dismiss FL Anti -Vax Surg. Gen., Wants To Block Distribution, Put Lives At Risk

[appalachiablue]

- 'Scientific nonsense’: experts dismiss Florida official’s Covid vaccine remarks,' The Guardian, Jan. 4, 2024. Ed. - State’s politically appointed surgeon general claims vaccines can contaminate human DNA but experts say comment has no merit.

An assertion by Florida’s politically appointed surgeon general that Covid-19 vaccines can contaminate human DNA has been dismissed as “scientific nonsense” by public health experts, who say he is putting lives at risk by wanting to block distribution. Dr Joseph Ladapo, who was handpicked by the state’s far-right governor and fellow vaccine-skeptic, Ron DeSantis, to be the state’s top public health official, called for a halt in the distribution and use of mRNA Covid boosters, in an official bulletin published on Wednesday by the Florida health department.

His assertion that components of the shots “pose a unique and heightened risk of DNA integration into human cells”, potentially causing cancer, is the latest in a series of false claims by Ladapo, a prominent anti-vaxxer previously found to have manipulated data on vaccine safety. Dr Ashish Jha, a former White House Covid-19 response coordinator and dean of Brown University’s school of public health, said Ladapo’s position has no merit.

“We’ve seen this pattern from Dr Ladapo that every few months he raises some new concern and it quickly gets debunked,” he told the Washington Post, referring to an erroneous claim in Sept. that the latest release of Covid boosters had not been tested on humans. “This idea of DNA fragments, it’s scientific nonsense. People who understand how these vaccines are made and administered understand that there is no risk here.”

Dr David Gorski, professor of surgery and oncology at Wayne State University and managing editor of Science-Based Medicine, which debunks misinformation in medicine, told the newspaper: “I’ve never seen a state health authority parrot anti-vaccine disinformation as a justification for stopping the use of a vaccine that has saved so many lives before.” The Harvard-educated Ladapo is aligned with a rightwing group called America’s Frontline Doctors, which has pushed bogus Covid-19 cures...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/04/florida-surgeon-general-covid-vaccine-misinformation-joseph-ladapo

[atreides1]

1. Okay

Does he have the authority to order no shots for the entire state?

[appalachiablue]

2. I hope to god not, unbelievable. This quack and menace

needs to be removed, immediately by some higher authority. He should have been gone long ago for endangering public health.

[Chainfire]

3. Well, the good thing is that, since I have had the shots, they can never link me to my crimes by DNA.

Florida has become a Fascist laughing stock. We have a "Florida Man" for governor and he controls the state with an iron fist.

[appalachiablue]

5. +1

[tanyev]

4. Is he trying to kill off a lot of Trump and DeSantis voters?

[appalachiablue]

6. Sounds like it, but before they die soak them for every

penny for treatment, and healthcare if they have any. More customers, more $$...

[hildegaard28]

7. The whole

Point of this on Desantis's end is to basically kill off older people in order to shore up social security. Desantis has basically admitted this. This is just his legal way of killing a bunch of boomers. I bet he and his family are all fully vaccinated. Pretty unlikely he actually believe the anti-science garbage he and his administration spew.

[appalachiablue]

9. I can see that as well, and he's no youngster himself. Every

day I see at least one Boomer Hate article in my news feed and scanning, particularly in the financial media:

Boomers are draining Soc. Sec. so that nothing will be left for younger generations, Boomers got free college and homes, Boomers didn't stop fossil fuel use and climate change.

All to divide people, but not explaining why younger people were shorted on college tuition, home ownership, jobs and wages, etc. Namely due to Reagan & Co. with Free Market economic policies, union busting, globalization, deindustrialization and more. The Gipper took down the solar panels in the WH that Carter had installed practically on Day 1 of his admin. He and the GOP bonded with Big Oil.

On DeSantis, I remember articles about him promoting the first Covid vaccines to people in affluent communities and areas (his supporters) that he visited. Self serving #!@$ I agree that he and his close ones are very likely vaxxed.

ETA, This Boomer didn't vote for Reagan- Bush in 80 or 84. Dutch's win in 1980 stunned me so much I was in daze for weeks. I could not believe that Americans voted for the B- grade H.wood actor ( who used make up and hair dye - 3 colors, while POTUS).

[snowybirdie]

8. Thank goodness

He's term limited in two years. We can kick the ass out in 26 and his political career will be done. Good riddance! Florida needs a fresh start.

[appalachiablue]

10. Good thinking, FL deserves a LOT better