In a deviation from federal recommendations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is advising residents under age 65 not to get the new Covid boosters from Pfizer and Moderna.
“What I have directed our department to do is to provide guidance that really recommends and advises against the use of these mRNA Covid-19 vaccines for anyone under 65,” the state surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, said at an online panel hosted by DeSantis on Wednesday.
The statement ignores the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations: The agency said Tuesday that everyone ages 6 months and up who has not gotten a Covid shot within the last two months should get a new booster, which targets a subvariant of omicron called XBB.1.5.