March 14, 2023
Two U.S. health agencies have published a letter warning that “misleading” claims Florida’s surgeon general made about COVID-19 vaccines last month could be harmful to the public.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control sent the letter to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on March 10 in response to a letter he wrote to them last month.
Ladapo, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, has previously attracted national scrutiny for sharing DeSantis’ resistance to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other health policies – such as mask mandates – recommended by the federal government.
In his Feb. 15 letter to the federal agencies, Ladapo claimed Florida had recorded a significant surge in VAERS (vaccine adverse event reporting system) reports related to COVID-19 vaccinations.