Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s top health department official are directly contradicting federal health recommendations and warning residents against getting a new COVID-19 booster, saying there’s not enough evidence it provides benefits that outweigh risks.
DeSantis, who is running for president, and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo discussed the vaccine with doctors Wednesday on a Zoom call livestreamed on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It repeated much of what they said a week ago during a live event in Jacksonville, in which they warned against the vaccine that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended this week.
Ladapo’s previous warnings against COVID-19 vaccines prompted a public letter from federal health agencies saying his claims were harmful to the public.
I would agree if this decision would only affect themselves. But vaccination against infectious diseases works best if the majority is vaccinated. Then you can actually stop it from spreading. Which is important for all those that cannot be vaccinated for legitimate health reasons. Some vaccines are dangerous for specific subsets of the population. And usually it’s the same subset that would be most affected by an actual infection of the diseases we vaccinate against. Small children, pregnant people, any immunocompromised people… Vaccinating is an act of solidarity and community.
It’s not just important for those that cannot be vaccinated for health reasons. It’s important for the x% that the vaccine was not effective for.
If it’s 90% effective, then you still have a 10% chance of getting it if exposed (Though probably less severe, you can still spread it). But if it’s 90% effective, you have a much lower chance of being exposed but ONLY IF MOST PEOPLE GET THE VACCINE!
Sorry, not yelling at you. Just making the point that even if you get the vaccine, you are better off if everyone else does too.
That’s what I wanted to hint at in my third sentence, but yes, it wasn’t my main point. So thanks for picking up on this even more central aspect.
Your explanation is rightfully more verbose. Herd immunity should not be a difficult concept, but it definitely can’t be explained often enough.