Kids Shouldn’t Get COVID Vaccine, FL Surgeon General Says: Report

Updated: 8:22 p.m. Monday

FLORIDA — Going against the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida will formally recommend against COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy children, the state’s Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said Monday.

The CDC’s guidance recommends that everyone 5 and older get the coronavirus vaccine.

Ladapo made the announcement during a roundtable discussion, on the “failures” of the pandemic response, organized by Gov. Ron DeSantis in West Palm Beach, USA Today reported.

Though the surgeon general didn’t say when a formal recommendation against vaccinating children would be made by the Florida Department of Health, he said Florida will be the first state to establish such guidelines. He also didn’t elaborate on the age range of the children affected by the impending state health guidance.

While speaking during the roundtable event, Ladapo noted a recent study from New York, suggesting that data from the report shows that Pfizer’s COVID-19 protection in children ages 5 to 11 years old decreases quickly, according to ABC News.

"Already the rates were low," he said. "So, 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 infinite potential of benefit."

At a Monday afternoon news conference in Plant City, DeSantis backed up Ladapo, telling reporters there is “very little benefit” for children, who are at low risk for the virus, to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the Tampa Bay Times said.

During a Monday afternoon news conference, White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Ladapo’s guidance on vaccines for children “deeply disturbing,” according to The Hill.

"Let me just note that we know the science. We know the data and what works and what the most effective steps are in protecting people of a range of ages from hospitalization and even death,” she said. “The (Food and Drug Administration) and CDC have already weighed in on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for those 5 and older.”

Psaki added, "We also know through the data that unvaccinated teenagers are three times as likely to be hospitalized if they get COVID than vaccinated teenagers. So, 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."

Pfizer anticipated a third dose would likely be needed based on early data that showed a two-dose course for children 5 and older was less effective at preventing COVID-19 in kids ages 2-5. Adding a third dose to the series is supported by findings that show booster shots significantly improve protection in other age groups, the company said.

Pfizer filed its application with the FDA in February, and CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC the chances the FDA would approve vaccines for young children were "very high."

Pfizer said more data is generated daily because infection rates remain high in young children, especially due to the recent omicron surge.

That data is expected in early April.

The FDA didn't elaborate on the data it is asking Pfizer to provide, except that it involved a third dose.