Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis once again rejected the idea of COVID-19 vaccine mandates — if, this time, imposed by the federal government.
The Republican incumbent was responding to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, recommending that the COVID vax be included in the series of shots required of children.
The ACIP passed the proposal by a vote of 15-0 — even as the number of new cases for people of all ages is at one of the lowest points since the pandemic started in March 2020.
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The ACIP also voted just days after a top Pfizer executive admitted to the European Parliament that the company never tested the vaccine to determine if it would stop transmission of the virus — which, by the way, it doesn’t.
With its vote, the CDC is encouraging the shot for children as young as 6 months old, according to Fox News. In response, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky tweeted, “CDC knows this will precipitate mandatory COVID shots for many schools and sports leagues.”
Not in Florida, however.
“I know a lot of parents are concerned about that, because if that’s on the immunization schedule, the fear is that schools could potentially mandate your child to get a COVID shot even if that’s not something you want to do,” DeSantis said on Thursday.
“As long as I’m around, as long as I’m kicking and screaming, there will be no COVID-shot mandates for your kids,” DeSantis said. “That is your decision to make as a parent.”
“The important thing is that school districts are not mandating this choice,” he added.
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“These are new shots,” he noted, adding that he gets “a kick out of it” when people compare the COVID vaccine, which was first available in December 2020, to the immunizations for measles, mumps and rubella that have been viable and proven effective for more than 50 years.
The governor pointed out that “most parents” in Florida have opted against booster shots, especially for younger children.
In response to the governor’s comments, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis tweeted,
“Thanks to @GovRonDeSantis, FL parents will always have the right to make decisions in the best interest of their children. Regardless of today’s CDC action, schools in FL cannot require children to receive a COVID shot. Mamas can count on @GovRonDeSantis.”
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