Florida Surgeon General Criticizes COVID-19 Vaccines for Kids

TAMPA, Fla. – Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo spoke on Thursday, praising updated federal recommendations against COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.

The backstory: U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. Ladapo, who has served as Florida’s surgeon general since 2021, has consistently criticized COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine mandates, previously calling in January 2024 for a halt to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine use.

During Thursday’s news conference in Tampa, Ladapo reiterated his opposition to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, stating they have caused serious reactions and health issues for many individuals. ‘These products should not be used in any human beings,’ Ladapo remarked. He further expressed concerns about attempts to use vaccine components in animals, suggesting that consumers might not want to eat meat from such animals.

Ladapo claimed to have noticed growing public support for his vaccination stance. ‘More and more people have really moved from the position of buying the things that we hear from the federal government into agreeing, whether explicitly or implicitly, with what we’ve said in Florida,’ he said.

Supporters of vaccinations argue that vaccines save lives, countering claims against them, such as the false association with autism. A recently published study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found no link between aluminum in vaccines and an increased risk of 50 chronic disorders, including autoimmune diseases and allergies.

This story was written with information from a news conference in Tampa, Florida, on July 17, 2025, with additional details from previous FOX 13 News and FOX News Digital reports.