An elderly woman wearing a mask infected with coronavirus is receiving medicine through an IV drip in her hospital bed. … (+) Close-up of the fingers of a sleeping elderly patient’s hand. Landscape photo
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In my field, public health, progress requires public trust. We work hard to develop the expertise and gather the facts so we can give people the information they need to make good health decisions for themselves and their families. Trust means people believe what they are told about the dangers of smoking, the importance of wearing seat belts, or the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Public trust takes time and effort to build, and maintaining it requires ongoing effort.
Thanks to trust in science and the people who communicate it, we have made incredible progress over the years against deadly diseases like polio and everyday dangers like air pollution. But we live in strange times, when the polarized distrust that permeates our politics has seeped into historically nonpartisan areas like education and science.
Take Florida for example. The latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine, available this fall, could save the lives of thousands of Floridians, including seniors and those with underlying health conditions. The Food and Drug Administration approved the latest version of the vaccine in August and strongly encourages eligible people to get it. However, the Florida Department of Health is advising residents not to get the recently approved mRNA vaccine. A statement on the health department’s website questions the safety of the mRNA vaccine, repeating multiple assertions that the FDA denied almost a year ago. The statement says that the booster shots “mistakenly” target the Omicron variant, which is no longer a threat, but that all major COVID-19 variants have evolved from Omicron. Notably, the guidance makes no mention of the availability of a non-mRNA vaccine, Novavax. The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said all three are safe and effective at preventing severe COVID-19 illness. (The Florida Department of Health did not respond to requests for comment.)
Who’s right? Who can I trust? In this case, I trust the overwhelming consensus of medical experts, including the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Dr. Ladapo’s colleagues at the University of Florida College of Medicine, who have condemned Dr. Ladapo’s position on vaccinations as misleading, irresponsible, and based on flawed analysis.
“Vaccination remains the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention, and these improved vaccines meet FDA’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality,” Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said on August 22.
Going against the scientific consensus on vaccines is dangerous and puts lives at risk. Mistrust of COVID-19 vaccines is also affecting routine immunizations. Florida’s vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella are at a 10-year low (less than 91% compared to the national average of 93%), and it is estimated that one measles outbreak in the state could infect more than 100 people over the next nine months.
The Florida Department of Health’s latest guidelines are especially dangerous considering the state has the second-largest population in the nation over the age of 65 (21.6% vs. 17.3% nationally), and people in this age group are roughly 1,000 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people under the age of 18. Why should Floridians in this age group fall victim to erroneous health recommendations they would not hear in other states?
Nothing is without risk, and sound health guidance plays a critical role in helping people understand the relative risks of vaccines, treatments, and preventable diseases. Floridians, and all Americans, deserve health policies that put science first, especially when it comes to protecting older adults and those with underlying medical conditions. As COVID-19 continues to be part of our reality, it is more important than ever that health guidance is clear, consistent, and scientifically sound. Far from protecting health, Dr. Ladapo and the agency he leads are putting lives at risk.
