Florida plans to end all statewide vaccine mandates, even those required for school attendance, framing the move as a defense of individual liberties, which has since received pushback from public health experts.
Vaccine Mandates Compared To ‘Slavery’
On Wednesday, the state’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced plans to end all vaccine mandates under his authority, saying that “every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” according to a Reuters report.
“Who am I as a government or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what to do with your body?” Ladapo asked, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis backed him, saying, “Medical freedom is something we’ve got to be very conscientious about protecting.”
Ladapo said that his agency would be rolling back mandates for a “dozen-or-so” vaccines, but acknowledged that legislative action was required for broader reforms.
Critics Warn of ‘A Major Disaster’
Critics warned the rollback could endanger not only unvaccinated children, but also immunocompromised individuals and visitors to the state. “You're going to get multiple outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease and spread of these diseases,” said Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. This move is “going to be a major disaster.”
Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, called the decision “reckless,” adding that “every parent of a child who dies or who is hospitalized with a vaccine-preventable disease will know exactly why.”
Vaccine Makers Under Pressure
Top vaccine stocks have come under significant pressure in recent weeks, starting with the FDA’s plan not to renew Pfizer Inc.’s (NYSE:PFE) authorization for COVID-19 shots in younger children.
This was followed by the rescinding of emergency authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) and Novavax Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX) last week, with the Trump administration reportedly working toward removing all COVID-19 vaccines from the market “within months.”
| Stocks | Year-To-Date Performance | 1 Month Performance |
| Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) | -6.84% | +5.35% |
| Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) | -0.58% | -12.99% |
| Novavax Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX) | -13.65% | +9.63% |
| Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) | -15.12% | +5.41% |
| GSK PLC (NYSE:GSK) | +15.94% | +4.46% |
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