Joseph Ladapo openly questions safety of COVID-19 vaccines
Image via Colin Hackley.

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But there's no medical consensus supporting the Surgeon General's views.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Friday made some of his strongest statements yet against receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Delivered at a press conference announcing an agreement with the Special Olympics to lift a vaccine mandate, the Florida Department of Health leader went much further. He called into question the efficacy of COVID-19 shots and whether they are even safe to use.

“People will say oh, you know, millions of people have taken these vaccines, they must be safe,” he said. “Well, you can’t know the answer to that when it is taboo to talk about having a reaction after vaccines.”

Citing only anecdotal evidence, he suggested the vaccine has produced more side effects than others such as flu shots.

“There’s another vaccine that over 100 million Americans take every year, and it’s the influenza vaccine,” he said. “And the stream of adverse events that I’ve heard from people all over this country after these vaccines is nothing like the years of my life when I’ve been in medicine and have been administering the influenza vaccines. There is a difference, and you can’t say that millions of people getting it excuses you from that.”

Regarding vaccine mandates, he said those make no sense based on what science now shows about this coronavirus and about vaccines in use now.

“Scientifically, it makes zero sense,” Ladapo said. “How can you force people to take a vaccine in order to stop transmission when that vaccine is not effective at stopping transmission?”

But the Centers for Disease Control reports that while vaccines do not completely eliminate transmission, particularly with variants of the coronavirus that have now overtaken infections with the first detected strains of the virus, there are still benefits for the vaccinated if they contract COVID-19.

“Data show fully vaccinated persons are less likely than unvaccinated persons to acquire SARS-CoV-2, and infections with the delta variant in fully vaccinated persons are associated with less severe clinical outcomes,” the CDC states.

And numerous studies have shown vaccines do significantly reduce infection rates. A study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found vaccinated people with COVID-19 were 63% to 73% less likely to infect unvaccinated people.

The Florida Department of Health under Ladapo became the first such agency in the nation to recommend against the use of COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children.

After the initial distribution of vaccines, DeSantis heavily encouraged their use, including opening pop-up clinics in areas where vaccine adoption rates were lower than other parts of the state.

But he has now stood along Ladapo multiple times as his hand-picked Surgeon General called into question the value of getting vaccinated at all. While his own remarks at a Friday press conference didn’t go as far as Ladapo’s regarding use of vaccines, he praised Ladapo after he made his controversial statements.

“It’s good to know that we have a Surgeon General who actually believes in evidence-based medicine, not ideology,” DeSantis said.

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at [email protected].


41 comments

  • TJC

    June 3, 2022 at 1:45 pm

    “It’s good to know that we have a Surgeon General who actually believes in evidence-based medicine, not ideology,” DeSantis said.
    Actually, what’s good to know is that DeSantis cares more about his own ideology than he does about the health and safety of the citizens of Florida. This is the man who now says he regrets not being more vocal in trying to persuade Trump to forbid mandating the Covid-19 vaccine for anybody — doctors, nurses, first responders, you name it. That’s a safe lament for DeSantis, knowing he’s talking about the past and knowing that if he had persuaded Trump to ban all mandates, thousands more would be dead and it would be on his head. DeSantis is a little man with big ambitions, and he, like his surgeon general, will say anything to uphold his very own self-serving ideology.

    • Teresa

      June 6, 2022 at 5:01 pm

      It’s amazing how clueless you and others like you still are about these “vaccines” that do not protect from infection, transmission, serious illness, long-covid, nor death. By all means, jab yourself daily if you wish. DeSantis and Ladapo actually look at data, read studies, and being the first state to recommend against vaccinating healthy children was and is the right call based on the risk analysis of covid versus vaccine injuries and vaccine induced death.

    • TheCovidPilot

      June 7, 2022 at 11:14 am

      “knowing…if he had persuaded Trump to ban all mandates, thousands more would be dead”

      So much you know just ain’t so

    • John Rebefree

      June 8, 2022 at 10:14 am

      DeSantis is a great governor. We love him and life never changed for us during Covid. We are so much stronger than almost all the other states because of this, and we will lead the country out of this tyranny, step by step.

    • Morgan

      June 9, 2022 at 9:21 pm

      This experimental vaccination campaign poses high risks to health. Long term results are yet unknown. Politicians and government have no business mandating the public be used as lab rats for pharmaceutical companies.

  • Don’t Look Up

    June 3, 2022 at 1:54 pm

    Joseph Ladapo should have his license to practice medicine revoked. I’m certain DeSantis hunted high and low to find such an ingenious incompetent blabbering snake oil con man.

    • Jdog

      June 7, 2022 at 8:57 am

      Why because he does not follow the woke liberal agenda?
      A study out of Israel, now proves that the vaccinated are 25% more likely to suffer heart attack than the non-vaccinated, or someone who has had COVID. You cannot deny the massive increase in heart attack among otherwise healthy people, not to mention the huge increase in “all other cause” mortality.

    • TheCovidPilot

      June 7, 2022 at 11:13 am

      Wow, you really support the Trump Clotshot produced by Operation Warped Greed???

    • Tray

      June 8, 2022 at 12:20 am

      The irony of the movie don’t look up compared to real life is in the movie a meteor actually destroys the earth and kills everyone, proving the liberals right. In real life, there was no meteor.

      That’s why half of liberals hate the movie, because it proves how stupid they are. The other half are too stupid to understand that.

  • Lynda

    June 3, 2022 at 2:54 pm

    Amazing what deSantis thinks is evidence. Stories told by hysterical trum-pest cult members are not evidence. The variants of COVID-19 are still dangerous and will remain so for years to come as mutations occur.
    If ladapo the unfit is an example of deSantis vetting members of his state administration, deSantis should never be allowed to become President with the opportunity to subject all of the US to his poor choices in staff.

    • TheCovidPilot

      June 7, 2022 at 11:12 am

      All I hear from you is “Baaaaaa.”

    • Tray

      June 8, 2022 at 12:25 am

      And Democrats believe a psychopath named Rebecca Jones was a ‘data scientist’ when she was literally just an IT person. A woman who had an affair with a student and wrote an insane 300 page memoir about it. Who was raided because after she was fired for being a nutjob, decided to illegally try to access her old work network and get previous coworkers to give her data. And an investigation showed none of her allegations about rigging the dashboard were true.

      Yeah, keep thinking you’re on the side of the ones telling the truth, when you’re supporting actual grifter head cases with delusions of grandeur.

  • RonDeSantis Sucks

    June 3, 2022 at 5:05 pm

    Florida’s “Surgeon General” should be charged with malpractice for endangering the lives of millions of Floridians with his lies. This is ridiculous.

  • Beth

    June 3, 2022 at 7:09 pm

    In the meantime every FL citizen with a brain questions why LaDapo is allowed to have a medical license. That quack is an embarrassment to the state and another glaring example of DeSantis’ ignorance and complete lack of judgement.

  • Beth

    June 3, 2022 at 7:34 pm

    DeSantis is an ignorant fool. Ladapo did not mention one word of actual research to back up the outrageous irresponsible dangerous garbage spewing from his mouth. How could he, none exists! Has anyone even verified his credentials, I find it hard to believe he was ever granted a medical license.
    When are Floridians going to wake up and realize that DeSantis is nothing but a stupid immature child who will do or say anything for money and power. He has never in his life done anything to help anyone but himself. He is nothing but another trump con man and anyone who supports him needs to have their head examined. Talk about the dumbing down of society, it is alive and well in FL.

    • Tray

      June 8, 2022 at 12:27 am

      The CDC has literally never once given any research or data to back up anything they’ve said in the last two years. Nor has any ‘public health official’ in any state in the country.

      It’s weird to me that you’re so brainwashed you don’t realize you don’t hold yourself true to your own professed opinions.

  • William

    June 4, 2022 at 12:06 pm

    It’s incredible that this far into this there are still people so deeply brainwashed that they believe these vaxx are completely safe. There are unprecedented number (by a large margin) of reported adverse events. That’s an irrefutable fact. It’s silly/ignorant/blind to cavalierly dismiss them.

  • Askica Alba

    June 4, 2022 at 3:10 pm

    I openly question the relevance of Sambo Ladapo and the judgement of Governor FatSantis.

  • Jennifer Katz

    June 6, 2022 at 1:29 pm

    Why in the world would you cite vaccine studies from 2021 and quote efficacy statements against the delta variant? Are these the only support data you could come up with for your outdated conclusions? Great reporting…

  • calltoaccount

    June 6, 2022 at 1:49 pm

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released new data showing a total of 1,287,595 reports of adverse events following COVID-19 vaccines were submitted between Dec. 14, 2020, and May 27, 2022, to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). That’s an increase of 9,615 adverse events over the previous week.
    VAERS is the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S.
    The data included a total of 28,532 reports of deaths — an increase of 220 over the previous week — and 235,041 serious injuries, including deaths, during the same time period — up 2,347compared with the previous week.
    Wait until all the surviving loved ones of “suddenly unexpectedly dead” connect the dots and raise their voices in outrage!

  • Andria

    June 6, 2022 at 2:12 pm

    I’m almost speechless after reading the comments! Could Americans be so dumb? People hating on Dr. Ladapo and DeSantis are obviously weak human beings with no critical thinking skills whatsoever! Quit living in fear and start asking, why? Why have we been lied to over and over again just to be told, “the science”. Why have we thrown everything we know about biology and our immune systems out the window? Why the lockdowns, the massive spending, the vax mandates, the censorship? Be an adult and ask the right questions. Who benefits?

  • Aphid

    June 6, 2022 at 2:23 pm

    I wish I lived in Florida where the wool is not still over everyone’s eyes. Thank God for the Governor and the Surgeon General. Seems like some commenters need to turn off the boob tube and do some research. If the jabs work, why do you still need to get another one?

  • Paul V Sheridan

    June 6, 2022 at 2:39 pm

    The author (Jacob Ogles) asserts that Surgeon General Ladapo is “citing only anecdotal evidence.” Then Ogles immediately scurries to vested interest sewers like the CDC? And the media, especially the “news media” wonders why they are despised.

    Perhaps Ogles, and all the misinformation addicts posting here, would like to explain the “anecdotal evidence” involving Mrs. Jummai Nache, formerly a nurse at the University of Minnesota Hospital System, where she was MANDATED to be injected with the needle from Mr. Albert Bourla.

  • Wake up

    June 6, 2022 at 5:35 pm

    Floridians are lucky to have a surgeon general and governor who actually follow the science. There are so many highly credentialed doctors and scientists who agree with Ladapo. Get educated people! Some links that you might be interested in for more information:
    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iulvEmAmtcQ (The Curtain Close on Covid Theater)
    2. https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dialogue-with-a-curious-injectee?s=r
    3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9062939/ – Covid-19 What is the truth?
    Thank you.

  • David McEwen

    June 6, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    Well said Paul – you nailed it.
    Josh Billings said: It isn’t what we don’t know that causes our troubles, it’s what we know that just ain’t so.
    Amazes me to see how many willfully blind people there are still
    eating up stuff from frauds like Ogles.

    • Paul V Sheridan ATT

      June 6, 2022 at 8:32 pm

      Hello David: I guess you and I are now relegated to being “trolls.” In any case, I was interviewed by Stew Peters, and the issue of what happened to Mrs. Nache (who hailed as a legal immigrant from Nigeria, just like Surgeon General Ladapo) was our prologue. My topic boils down as follows, if the needle is what the vested interests say it is (“safe & effective”), then why the broad vileness of LIABILITY IMMUNITY, and why no reporting of THAT topic by the likes of Ogles? My interview with Stew here (please share) https://rumble.com/vqpxyf-beyond-willful-misconduct-bioweapon-victims-demand-shutdown-of-vaxx-program.html

  • Kris

    June 6, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    So many trolls here…:(

  • Donald Drye

    June 6, 2022 at 9:45 pm

    Ogles and others who are relying on this Vax should look at the weekly report put out by Walgreens. Walgreens appears to be the only org with enough balls to give the whole story. They break their testing down into groips, to sow EXACTLY what’s real! The real data shows that almost every group tested has a higher positivity rate than plane old “unvaxed”. Don’t make a fool of yourself any longer. Do your research.

  • TheCovidPilot

    June 7, 2022 at 11:03 am

    “But there’s no medical consensus supporting the Surgeon General’s views”

    Lol, there’s no medical consensus about vaccines. That’s why science has conversations about data.

  • TheCovidPilot

    June 7, 2022 at 11:08 am

    “Citing only anecdotal evidence”

    “Water is wet.” only anecdotal evidence

    “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.” only anecdotal evidence

    “Parachutes work to prevent fatal falls.” only anecdotal evidence

    “Thalidomide causes birth defects.” only anecdotal evidence

    Without anecdotal evidence, our knowledge base would be very small.

    Nota Bene

    Anecdotal evidence falls under the category of empirical evidence.

  • JWri

    June 7, 2022 at 3:35 pm

    What I’ve found is that only my friends and extended family who have been vaccinated are getting covid multiple times and suffering from immune deficiency. The rest of us who refused the Covid vaccine are quite healthy with our natural immunity. Amen to this Surgeon General for speaking truth!

  • Josh Mazer

    June 8, 2022 at 10:19 am

    Mr. Ogles: “medicine by consensus” sounds like a good thing. Sometimes, the consensus view may be mistaken.

    Dr. Lapado, unlike “the CDC,” takes personal responsibility for he medical advice by putting his name next to it. What is the name of the medical scientists at CDC who told you covid shots prevent infection?
    Here is a report from cardiovascular surgeon published this week in Journal Virology. Trigger warning: this physician also challenges the “medical consensus”:

    “The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the widespread use of genetic vaccines, including mRNA and viral vector vaccines. In addition, booster vaccines have been used, but their effectiveness against the highly mutated spike protein of Omicron strains is limited. Recently, The Lancet published a study on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and the waning of immunity with time [1]. The study showed that immune function among vaccinated individuals 8 months after the administration of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine was lower than that among unvaccinated individuals. These findings were more pronounced in older adults and individuals with pre-existing conditions. According to the European Medicines Agency’s recommendations, frequent COVID-19 booster shots could adversely affect the immune response and may not be feasible [2].”
    https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12985-022-01831-0

  • Brian

    June 8, 2022 at 10:52 am

    “Well, you can’t know the answer to that when it is taboo to talk about having a reaction after vaccines.”

    This is a good explanation for why medical research isn’t being conducted on the side effects of vaccinations. It would be helpful if the physicians doing Pfizer commercials would stop shouting down researchers who dare to question their employers

  • MsB

    June 9, 2022 at 4:10 am

    Good for Ladapo “But there’s no medical consensus supporting the Surgeon General’s views.”
    There were no “experts” supporting Semmelweis, Galileo or Martin Luther, either. Outliers, all. These days I look to the one who isn’t saying what the captured government agencies, MSM and Big Food/Pharma is shoveling out. That’s the one I want to hear out.

  • ExpertWrangler

    June 10, 2022 at 4:57 pm

    Jacob. It’s lazy to generally cite the CDC as the rebuttal source. The CDC has been wrong more than right during the pandemic. Who’s to say they’re not wrong again this time? Cite a named source who can be checked.

Comments are closed.


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