Fla. surgeon general recommends against COVID-19 vaccines for kids

March 7 (UPI) -- The Florida Department of Health will officially recommend against giving COVID-19 vaccines to healthy children ages 5 and older, the state's surgeon general said Monday.

Joseph Ladapo, appearing with Gov. Ron DeSantis and other critics of pandemic mitigation measures at a roundtable discussion entitled "The Curtain Close on COVID Theater," said his department's recommendation against kids' vaccinations would be the first of its kind in the country.

If implemented, it would come as a direct contradiction to guidance issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which currently recommends that everyone 5 and older get the coronavirus vaccine.

During the roundtable, Ladapo cited data released last week by public health researchers in New York State revealing that vaccine effectiveness among children ages 5 to 11 years fell from 100% to 48% during the Omicron surge.

The findings, which have not yet been peer reviewed, did indicate, however, that vaccination still dramatically reduced the risk of hospitalization for children.

"We're kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel -- particularly with healthy kids -- in terms of actually being able to quantify with any accuracy and any confidence the even potential of benefit," Ladapo said.

He did not reveal any additional details about the move during the event, such as what ages it would apply to.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the Florida decision was "absolutely not" a good policy.

"It's 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 and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized," she said.

Ladapo has generated controversy since being picked for surgeon general by DeSantis in September.

An outspoken critic of COVID-19 mitigation measures such as face masks and lockdowns, he refused to say whether he had gotten the COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose during his confirmation hearings last month.

He was also questioned by Democrats about his ties to America's Frontline Doctors, a group which in July 2020 held a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court building promoting the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 "cure" and blasted other COVID-19 restrictions, the Miami Herald reported.

Ladapo issued updated COVID-19 guidelines for healthcare providers last month in which they are encouraged to "exercise their individual clinical judgment and expertise" in treating COVID-19 with off-label remedies such as the antidepressant fluvoxamine.