Florida surgeon general calls to stop using mRNA Covid vaccines, citing debunked claim

Florida’s surgeon general Joseph A Ladapo has called for the “halt” to the use of mRNA Covid-19 vaccine to treat the virus, citing repeatedly debunked claims about the risk of DNA contamination.

The announcement comes after a heated exchange between Dr Ladapo and the FDA, arguing over the alleged risk of DNA contaminants in the vaccine.

“If the risks of DNA integration have not been assessed for mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, these vaccines are not appropriate for use in human beings,” a statement from the surgeon general said in a 3 January press release.

“Providers concerned about patient health risks associated with Covid-19 should prioritize patient access to non-mRNA Covid-19 vaccines and treatment,” the statement continued. “It is my hope that, in regard to Covid-19, the FDA will one day seriously consider its regulatory responsibility to protect human health, including the integrity of the human genome.”

Ashish Jha, who served as the White House Covid-19 response coordinator until last year, dismissed the state surgeon general’s warning.

“We’ve seen this pattern from Dr Ladapo that every few months he raises some new concern and it quickly gets debunked,” he told the Washington Post. “This idea of DNA fragments – it’s scientific nonsense. People who understand how these vaccines are made and administered understand that there is no risk here.”

Top federal health officials have also underscored the safety of the vaccines.

“It’s one of the most studied vaccines at this point,” CDC director Mandy Cohen told the Post.

On the same day as Dr Ladapo’s call to halt the use of mRNA shots, the FDA emphasised the vaccine’s “safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality.”

This isn’t the first time Dr Ladapo has been publicly sceptical about the efficacy or safety of the vaccine since he was appointed by Florida Gov Ron DeSantis to serve as the state’s top health official in September 2021 – or even before.

In April 2023, Politico revealed that he altered the results of a study about the risks of the vaccine, making cardiac risks appear more severe for young men than the study initially reported.

“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,” Mr DeSantis said in a statement in September after hosting a discussion with the state surgeon general. Dr Ladapo said at the same time, “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”.

In October 2023, Dr Ladapo tweeted: “Florida recommends against mRNA Covid-19 boosters for residents under the age of 65. The State of Florida prioritizes data and commonsense, not Pharma profits or political ideology!”

After the state surgeon general’s latest announcement, a DeSantis campaign official wrote on X: “Grateful to live in a state where Big Pharma does not dictate health policy recommendations” and thanked Dr Ladapo “for standing up for scientific integrity.