Florida surgeon general demands FDA, CDC ‘halt’ mRNA COVID vaccine use in humans
TALLAHASSE, Fla. – Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo demanded Wednesday the FDA and CDC “halt” the usage of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in humans, citing safety risks.
Namely, Ladapo pointed to “nucleic acid contaminants” in both the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines.
The Florida Department of Health said in a press release that the presence of Simian Virus 40 promoter/enhancer DNA and “lipid nanoparticle complexes” could pose a “heightened risk of DNA integration into human cells.”
This mechanism, the department warned, could result in cancer cell development and negative impacts on vital organs, including the heart, lungs, brain, liver and kidney.
Ladapo said the FDA hasn’t provided enough assessments on that risk.
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“DNA integration poses a unique and elevated risk to human health and to the integrity of the human genome, including the risk that DNA integrated into sperm or egg gametes could be passed onto offspring of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine recipients,” Ladapo said. “If the risks of DNA integration have not been assessed for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, these vaccines are not appropriate for use in human beings.”
Ladapo continued that health care providers and offices should prioritize “non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and treatment.
“It is my hope that, in regard to COVID-19, the FDA will one day seriously consider its regulatory responsibility to protect human health, including the integrity of the human genome,” he said.
The department said Ladapo sent a letter in December voicing his concerns over a finding that there are “billions of DNA fragments per dose” of the vaccines.
It said that on Dec. 14, the FDA responded with “no evidence” of assessments to the risks posted by the contaminants found in the mRNA vaccines.
The surgeon general also said in a statement that the FDA cited genotoxicity studies, which he argued aren’t adequate for addressing his outlined concerns.
“They obfuscated the difference between the SV40 [Simian Virus 40] promoter/enhancer and SV40 proteins, two elements that are distinct,” Ladapo said.
The CDC has maintained the vaccines are “safe and effective.”
Ladapo was reconfirmed as surgeon general in 2023, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in late 2021.
In August, Ladapo slammed the notion of pushing the vaccines on children, calling it “insane.”
And in March, nearly a year ago, Ladapo said he doesn’t believe anybody should take the mRNA vaccines over their “terrible safety profile.”
“These vaccines have a terrible safety profile at this point in the pandemic,” he said. “You know, I’m not sure anyone should be taking them and that’s [the] honest truth.”
The Florida Department of Health has also trailblazed an opposition to the vaccine. In September, it advised against anyone under the age of 65 from obtaining the COVID-19 booster.
In October 2022, Florida recommended against men aged 18-39 from receiving the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over cardiac risk concerns.
“Studying the safety and efficacy of any medications, including vaccines, is an important component of public health,” Ladapo said. “Far less attention has been paid to safety and the concerns of many individuals have been dismissed – these are important findings that should be communicated to Floridians.”
