HEALTHY CHOICES

Ron DeSantis Defends Florida’s Choice Not to Pre-Order Vaccines for Literal Children

The Republican governor claims parents are afraid for their children and that the “risks outweigh the benefits.”

After Florida became the only state not to pre-order COVID-19 vaccine doses and recommend them for children age 5 and under, Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the decision, citing what he called misinformation about the efficacy of the shots. Food and Drug Administration advisers voted unanimously to grant emergency authorization to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for kids between six months and 5 years old, but Florida’s Department of Health said it did not order doses because it does not believe all children should be vaccinated. DeSantis echoed with a similar sentiment, claiming without evidence Thursday morning that “the risks outweigh the benefits,” but emphasizing that he is not “banning” the vaccine for young children. “Parents are really frightened about COVID for their kids,” the governor said. “It’s because of media hysteria, it’s because of a lot of misinformation.” With that final statement, DeSantis was met with a robust round of applause.