Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has escalated his feud with the White House over the COVID-19 response as he positions himself for a possible presidential campaign in 2024.
DeSantis is inflamed by his decision not to pre-order COVID-19 vaccines for infants and young children from the federal government.
The White House initially made 10 million vaccines for young children available in the United States for pre-order, pending that the vaccines will be given the green light by federal regulators.
Having a small supply of doses on hand will mean that the injections can be started soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approves their use.
But Florida was the only state that decided not to place an order.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday, DeSantis said children had a “virtually zero risk” of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 and that the state would not allocate any resources to vaccinate them.
“Doctors can get it. Hospitals can get it. But there will be no government programs trying to get COVID injections for babies, young children and newborns, “DeSantis said, applauding the audience. “That’s not where we’re going to use our resources.”
White House officials have accused DeSantis of denying parents the right to choose whether to vaccinate their children.
“The state of Florida has deliberately missed a number of deadlines to order vaccines to protect its youngest children,” White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Ashish Ja told reporters on Friday.
“Now, despite repeated efforts to contact and engage employees in the state of Florida, the selected employees deliberately chose to postpone action to deny the choice of parents in Florida whether to vaccinate their children or not,” said Ja.
DeSantis spent much of the pandemic attacking the Biden administration’s efforts to mitigate COVID-19.
The governor of Sunshine is proud to question and challenge a number of federal guidelines, repeatedly promoting the “freedom” of a state without policies such as mandates for masks or vaccines.
The Florida Department of Health is headed by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, appointed by DeSantis, who openly questions the safety and benefits of COVID-19 vaccines.
In March, Florida became the first state to recommend not vaccinating healthy children and teens ages 5 to 17. The state has issued guidelines stating that these children “may not benefit from the currently available COVID-19 vaccine.”
Although federal agencies and national health groups recommend vaccinating young children, DeSantis suggests that the vaccines have not been tested enough to ensure they are safe for use in children.
“Our Ministry of Health was very clear, the risk outweighs the benefits and we recommend that you do not,” DeSantis said.
However, he noted that the state does not stop any doctor or hospital from ordering what they may need.
The Florida Department of Health said it had simply chosen not to participate in the “complicated” federal vaccine distribution process, “especially when the federal government has experience in developing inconsistent and unsustainable policies for COVID-19.”
The agency insisted that there would be no delay for suppliers to receive doses if they wanted them.
There was more finger-pointing on Friday after the White House hinted that DeSantis had succumbed to public pressure and reversed the course by allowing pediatricians and other providers to order vaccines.
“Yesterday, pediatricians in every state in the country could order vaccines or had the opportunity to order vaccines for their offices, with the exception of pediatricians from Florida. As of today, pediatricians in Florida already have that choice, “Ja said.
“Whether this is a reversal or not, I leave it to you to decide. But something has clearly changed between yesterday and today in the state of Florida, “he added.
But Florida Department of Health spokesman Jeremy Redfern said nothing had changed and the plan at all times was to allow suppliers to start ordering from the state’s online portal as soon as the Food and Drug Administration allowed the injections.
Redfern said Florida is refusing to be the Biden administration’s warehouse for unused vaccines. Once the doctor’s office or hospital knows what their request is, he is free to put the state in order, he said.
Lisa Gwyn, president of the Florida department of the American Academy of Pediatrics, accused the DeSantis administration of playing political games.
“Look at all the attention this whole thing has brought to our governor,” she said.
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Gwyn said it was unclear whether doctors would be able to order vaccines so quickly.
“The challenge we are most concerned about at the moment is that we are the last to order, we will be the last to receive it,” Gwyn said.
“We could start vaccinating our children this week. But now we have to wait until July. You know, I mean, kids can still get sick. “Children can bring it home and give it to family members,” she added.
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