Florida’s New Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Has Signed Great Barrington Declaration
September 23rd, 2021Via: USA Today:
One day after Gov. Ron DeSantis named him Florida’s top doctor, new Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo upended COVID-19 policies in schools – sparking yet another divide over battling the virus.
Ladapo enacted a new rule letting parents decide whether their children should quarantine or stay in school if they are asymptomatic after being exposed to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
…
Ladapo has been outspoken on COVID-19, mostly by way of downplaying the benefits of mask-wearing, openly condemning business and school lockdowns, and signing on last year to the Great Barrington Declaration.
The declaration was signed by several prominent researchers who advanced herd immunity – not vaccines or social precautions – as a way to emerge from the pandemic. DeSantis has invited a few of the Great Barrington leaders to appear with him at COVID-19 roundtables in Florida.
Ladapo also hints that he has problems with the way Dr. Anthony Fauci and others are leading the fight against the virus.
“People have been taking the science and misrepresenting it,” Ladapo said Tuesday at the Florida Capitol, in remarks aimed at mainstream public health officials setting policy for the nation.
Standing beside DeSantis this week, Ladapo didn’t sound like he would prioritize vaccinations. In Florida, 56% of the population is fully immunized against COVID-19, slightly better than the national average.
In June, Ladapo co-authored an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Are Covid Vaccines Riskier Than Advertised?” which questioned the benefits of immunizing children, young adults and people who already had COVID-19.
Ladapo said getting vaccinated is a personal choice.
