Florida will become the first state in the United States to formally recommend healthy children not to take COVID-19 vaccines, according to a local official.
On Monday, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced the move at a news conference with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying the Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children.
However, the move would defy the guidance recommended by the CDC that all children ages 5 to 7 should be vaccinated.
Ladapo did not go into details or specify the date when the department would officially release its guidelines.
On the other hand, the CDC has advised that vaccinating children 5 and older would strongly protect them against hospitalization and death for the illness.
Unlike adults, children are less likely to experience serious symptoms from coronavirus. And, according to public health experts, the vaccines further reduce their risk and help prevent them from spreading the virus.
The use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in children as young as 5 was approved by the Food and Drug Administration after a study showed the child-size doses were 91 percent effective at preventing symptomatic cases of the virus.
Children with preexisting conditions, such as obesity, diabetes or asthma, face higher risks for serious symptoms and hospitalization. White House press secretary Jen Psaki ridiculed Ladapo’s announcement.
Psaki said it was “deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccinations when it is our best tool against the virus.”
