FLORIDA – Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladopo has called for a halt to the use of COVID-19 vaccines based on mRNA and said the vaccines could result in an illness.
On December 6, he wrote a letter to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) about his concerns that the vaccine DNA could “theoretically” transform healthy cells into cancerous cells and that it could cause chromosomal instability.
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The FDA responded to the letter:
We would like to make clear that based on a thorough assessment of the entire manufacturing process, FDA is confident in the quality, safety, and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines. The agency’s benefit-risk assessment and ongoing safety surveillance demonstrate that the benefits of their use outweigh their risks. Additionally, with over a billion doses of the mRNA vaccines administered, no safety concerns related to residual DNA have been identified.
Federal Drug Administration
Medical professionals said Ladopo’s claim was fodder for a congressional investigation that was shown to be without merit. The claim has also been circulating among right-wing media outlets.
“This is also consistent with Dr. Ladapo’s continuing perversion of medical science for political purposes,” Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen, former Duval County Health Department director said.
He said there’s no evidence whatsoever, that concludes that the use of another virus in the vaccine will result in any detrimental effects in the present or the future. He also said multiple virus fragments are being used in the development of vaccines to stimulate a response, adding that the virus Ladapo is referring to, has been used in vaccine development since 1972.
Goldhagen said there’s more at play here than science.
“This position of this Surgeon General is politically motivated and has been refuted by every reputable source both in the US as well as in Europe,” Goldhagen said.
News4JAX requested an interview with Ladopo, but we did not receive a response from the Florida Department of Health or Ladapo at the time of publishing this article.
Dr. Jennifer Cowart said studies show that the vaccines are generally safe.
“The CDC, the FDA, and other major medical organizations...are saying that the studies show that this vaccine is safe and effective, and it reduces the risk of harm from COVID-19 infection and that the benefit strongly outweighs any risk,” Cowart said.
The National Cancer Institute strongly recommends cancer patients undergoing treatment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.