World News | US agency debunks Florida Surgeon General’s vaccine claims

ORLANDO (USA), March 11 (AP) — The U.S. health agency has sent a letter to the Florida Surgeon General warning him that his claims about the risks of COVID-19 are harmful to the public.

The letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was sent Friday to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Radapo.

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Ladapo, appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021, has drawn national scrutiny for his close coordination with the governor in opposing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and other health policies embraced by the federal government.

Ladapo issued guidelines last year advising against vaccinating healthy children against COVID-19, contradicting advice from federal public health leaders that all children should be vaccinated.

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He also advised men ages 18 to 39 not to get the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, claiming an analysis by the Florida Department of Health showed an 84% increase in heart-related deaths.

In their letter, the federal agencies debunked the conclusions of the analysis, saying cardiovascular experts who studied the issue concluded that people who were vaccinated had a lower risk of stroke and heart attack, not a higher one.

More than 13 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide with little evidence of adverse effects, the federal health agency said.

“It is the responsibility of public health officials across the country to protect the lives of the people they serve, especially vulnerable populations. Exacerbating vaccine hesitancy undermines that effort,” said FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and CDC Director Rochelle Watts. Lensky said in a letter signed.

The Florida Department of Health did not respond to emailed inquiries about the letter on Saturday. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)