Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, during a virtual roundtable with Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the state's surgeon general, and other doctors on Wednesday, told residents that if they are under the age of 65, they should not get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
The governor’s comments came during a discussion held on Zoom that was livestreamed on X (formerly Twitter).
"I've had Floridians come to me saying that their physicians are already telling them that, you know, you're 80 years old. You have to take this new shot that has just been approved," he said.
"And a lot of people have questions."
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During the discussion, Florida's surgeon general recommended that people under age 65 should not get COVID boosters due to "lack of a human clinical trial and evidence of benefit or efficacy," as stated in a press release on the governor’s website.
"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," said DeSantis during the discussion.
"Once again, Florida is the first state in the nation to stand up and provide guidance based on truth, not Washington edicts," he also said.
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Ladapo added, "Once again, the federal government is failing Americans by refusing to be honest about the risks and not providing sufficient clinical evidence when it comes to these COVID-19 mRNA shots, especially with how widespread immunity is now."
He also said, "In Florida, we will always use common sense and protect the rights and liberties of Floridians, including the right to accurate information."
In May, DeSantis signed legislation that permanently prohibited the following, as announced on the governor’s website:
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DeSantis’ and Ladapo’s latest comments came a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine, as long as they have not had a vaccine in the past two months.
"We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes from COVID-19," said CDC Director Mandy Cohen, M.D., in an announcement on the agency’s website on Sept. 12.
"CDC is now recommending updated COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older to better protect you and your loved ones," she added.
On Monday, Sept. 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the updated COVID vaccine for emergency use.
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"Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death," said Peter Marks, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in an announcement on the agency’s website.
"The public can be assured that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality," he went on.
"We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated."
The updated vaccines, manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, are "formulated to more closely target currently circulating variants," particularly the omicron variant XBB.1.5.
The vaccines have also been formulated to "provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death," according to the agency’s announcement.
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In an interview on Sunday, Sept. 10, a day before the FDA’s approval, Dr. Anthony Fauci mentioned the small risk of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) linked to the vaccine.
"It's a safe vaccine," the former chief medical adviser to the president told ABC.
"Of course, with the mRNA there's a very, very, very low risk, particularly in young men, of getting myocarditis. But if you look at the risk of myocarditis from COVID itself, [it] is greater than the risk of the vaccine."
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, told Fox News Digital that while high-risk groups should get the updated vaccine, it may not be necessary for lower-risk individuals.
The FDA's actions "make the vaccine available for those who may need it because they are immunocompromised or have chronic diseases, cancer, obesity or heart or lung disease," Siegel said.
"For most young, healthy people who have had previous vaccination, booster and COVID, however, the booster will not be necessary, in my opinion," he added.
"The target group should be the elderly, obese, those with chronic illness and the immunocompromised."
