DeSantis delivered Covid booster warning as Florida led the nation in hospitalizations

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The warning from Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration against getting Covid boosters couldn’t have come at a worse time.

DeSantis’ hand-picked surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, last Wednesday urged people under 65 not to get the newly approved mRNA-boosters, just days after Florida ranked first in the nation for Covid-related hospitalizations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing Florida’s hospitalization rate was 10.65 per 100,000 residents during the week ending on Sept. 9. Washington, D.C. was next with 10.06 per 100,000, followed by Arkansas.

In raw numbers, that means about 2,280 people in Florida were hospitalized for Covid-related health issues. It’s a far cry from the height of the pandemic, when the state was shattering nationwide records during the summer of 2021 with more than 10,000 hospitalizations, but still signifies an uptick in cases.

Ladapo’s warning against getting the vaccine, announced during an online roundtable discussion hosted by DeSantis, follows the surgeon general’s skepticism toward vaccines and goes against recommendations from the CDC, FDA and others in the medical community.

CDC Director Mandy Cohen, in response to Ladapo’s comments undermining the efficacy of the boosters, stressed the importance of vaccination ahead of winter and emphasized that vaccines are safe.

“Since this Administration’s launch of the largest adult vaccination program in our nation’s history, COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives and kept countless people out of the hospital,” Cohen wrote. “Public health experts are in broad agreement about these facts, and efforts to undercut vaccine uptake are unfounded and dangerous."

Jaye Williams, Florida Department of Health spokesperson, said Ladapo’s guidance speaks for itself despite Florida leading the nation in hospitalizations.

“[Ladapo’s] making the guidance based on the data he’s seen,” Williams said.

Williams also cited state reports showing a continued drop in Covid-19 infections throughout Florida. The rate of new infections was 16 percent in the week ending on Sept. 9, down by 4 percent from the previous week, according to the state report.

A review of the weekly DOH reports shows Florida saw a spike in Covid infections through August, similar to previous years during the pandemic when there was an increase as schools resumed after summer break.

It’s unclear, however, how exactly Ladapo’s guidance will affect Florida’s Covid situation. Michael Teng, virologist and associate dean at the University of South Florida, said many Floridians who were hospitalized are 65 or older — the group that the surgeon general didn’t advise against getting boosters. Teng said, in general, the elderly population should be more concerned about the virus and vaccinations than younger people.

“If it were just about prioritizing the elderly, the more at-risk population, that would be one thing,” Teng said in an interview. “But the surgeon general has actively gone and told people not to get the shot if you're below 65, even though the CDC has recommended it for everybody in the United States.”