White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo was “peddling conspiracy theories” after the medical professional recommended against healthy children from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Psaki was asked during the press briefing Monday if Ladapo’s recommendation was “good policy.”
“Absolutely not,” she answered. “Let me just note that we know the science, we know the data and what works and what is the most — what the most effective steps are in protecting people of a range of ages from hospitalization and even death.”
“The FDA and CDC have already weighed in in the safety — on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for those five and older,” she continued. “The recommendations are vetted transparently through a process for — with a purpose so that parents can have confidence, after consulting with their pediatricians or doctors if they would like, about the safety. But 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,” the press secretary slammed.
Jen Psaki says that @FLSurgeonGen is a politician who is "peddling conspiracy theories." pic.twitter.com/QKgUqAiO1U
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 7, 2022
Christina Pushaw, a spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), hit back at Psaki.
“She’s seriously so mean and petty,” Pushaw said of the press secretary. “Can’t refute Dr. Ladapo’s points? Call him names. Middle school BS.”
Gov. DeSantis appointed Lapado as Florida’s new surgeon general last year.
She’s seriously so mean and petty. Can’t refute Dr. Ladapo’s points? Call him names. Middle school BS. https://t.co/IkZhazglBR
— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) March 8, 2022
“For information on vaccines, I would trust a Harvard MD/PhD [Joseph A. Ladapo] over Jen Psaki and Montel Williams,” Pushaw also posted to Twitter.
For information on vaccines, I would trust a Harvard MD/PhD @FLSurgeonGen over Jen Psaki and Montel Williams
— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) March 7, 2022
Quote-tweeting Ladapo’s recommendation on Tuesday, Pushaw posted, “FLORIDA HAS THE BEST SURGEON GENERAL .”
FLORIDA HAS THE BEST SURGEON GENERAL. https://t.co/YDRT0vrtft
— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) March 9, 2022
“As Surgeon General, I cannot recommend that healthy children receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” Ladapo’s tweet said. “When their overall risk is low, & there is a higher than anticipated rate of serious adverse events in clinical trials, it is unclear if benefits outweigh the risks [e]specially when the COVID-19 vaccine shows rapid decline in efficacy among children, and many already have natural immunity after two years.”
Especially when the COVID-19 vaccine shows rapid decline in efficacy among children, and many already have natural immunity after two years.
Full release: https://t.co/ylktqwpnNM
— Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD (@FLSurgeonGen) March 8, 2022
The surgeon general’s recommendation does not align with the current recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that “everyone ages 5 years and older get a COVID-19 vaccine.”
Notably, Sweden is also not recommending the COVID vax for children ages 5-11, due to children’s general low risk for the virus.
“With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk for serious disease for kids, we don’t see any clear benefit with vaccinating them,” Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm said, The Daily Wire reported.
“As before during the pandemic, children are at a significantly lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease compared with adults,” the nation’s government added in a press release. “In general, the younger the child, the lower the risk. Since the end of October 2021, the Swedish Public Health Agency has been recommending general vaccination against covid-19 from the age of 12 in Sweden. This is based on the benefit to the individual child.”
“Discussions about the decision have been held with the Pediatricians’ Association, the School Medical Association, the National Association of School Nurses, the Child Psychiatric Association, the Swedish Society for Infectious Diseases, vaccine coordinators within the regions, Swedish Municipalities and Regions (SKR), the Medical Products Agency and the Swedish Medical Council (Smer),” the government said.
Related: Sweden Decides Not To Recommend COVID-19 Vax For Kids Ages 5-11