Florida’s state surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, calls for doctors to stop recommending mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. He cited alleged health risks promoted by anti-vaccine activists that federal health officials have already refuted as “implausible” and “misleading.”
Ladapo wrote a letter to Robert Califf, M.D., commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also, he penned a letter to Mandy Cohen, M.D., MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He referred to a preprint study from October, which was not peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal.
He also claimed “nucleic acid contaminants” exist in the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines. In a bulletin posted on the Florida Department of Health’s website, Ladapo raised concerns about “nucleic acid contaminants.”
He claimed the contaminants are in the approved Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, Ladapo alleged that this could deliver “contaminant DNA” into human cells and also raised concerns about cancer risk.
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Ladapo alleged in his statement that “DNA integration poses a unique and elevated risk to human health and genome.” Also, he claimed, without sufficient backing, that these contaminants can cause cancer. He also said they can damage a person’s blood, heart, lungs, liver, kidney and other organs.
However, the FDA replied to the surgeon general that there was no evidence the shots posed these types of danger. In response to the FDA, Ladapo urged providers to prioritize patient access to “non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and treatment.”
He said the regulatory agency didn’t adequately consider the risks of the shots. “The FDA’s response does not provide data or evidence,” Ladapo said. “That they have performed the DNA integration assessments they recommended themselves.”
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Hence, the FDA issued a letter. “We would like to make clear that based on a thorough assessment of the entire manufacturing process,” the agency wrote. “FDA is confident in the quality, safety, and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines.”
The FDA added, “The agency’s benefit-risk assessment and ongoing safety surveillance demonstrate that the vaccines’ benefits outweigh their risks.” The FDA noted that there have been no safety concerns with over a billion doses of the mRNA vaccines.
Pfizer representatives also replied to Ladapo, “Regulatory agencies worldwide have authorized the use of our COVID-19 vaccine.” This isn’t the first time a letter from Ladapo has resulted in a rebuttal from public health agencies.
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In the years since taking the role, Dr. Ladapo has released multiple controversial advisories. In March 2022, he recommended against healthy children receiving the vaccines. Consequently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called out Ladapo’s claims about the COVID-19 vaccines.
The agency called them “incorrect, misleading, and could be harmful to the American public.” Also, when the FDA and CDC approved updated booster shots late last year, Ladapo recommended against them. According to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal in 2022, COVID-19 vaccines saved nearly 20 million lives worldwide.
This figure includes 1.9 million Americans who would have otherwise died in the pandemic. Hence, agencies worldwide recognize the COVID vaccines as safe and effective.
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