Dr. Ladapo Once Again Rejects Science to Keep His Boss Happy
Washington, DC – Last night, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo spoke in front of the Florida Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections. During the hearing, Dr. Ladapo repeatedly refused to endorse vaccines or disclose whether or not he’s received his vaccine, much like DeSantis and his quibbling over the booster shot.
“Ron DeSantis’ lack of leadership on the pandemic has caused Floridians needless suffering and only prolonged the pandemic, and Dr. Ladapo is clearly determined to fall in line,” said Coronavirus War Room Director Nicole Haley. “Dr. Ladapo has been rejected by the medical community for his discredited views, lied about his resume, and pushed treatments that don’t work over life-saving vaccines. Ron DeSantis should withdraw his nomination, and any Republican who cares about competency in government or protecting their constituents should vote against his confirmation.”
Florida’s Top Doctor Refuses To Say If He’s Vaccinated. “Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Tuesday declined to disclose whether he has received a coronavirus vaccine…Ladapo, appointed in September by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, has attracted national scrutiny over his close alignment with the governor in opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other health policies embraced by the federal government.” [AP, 2/8/22]
Democratic State Senators Grill Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo As Confirmation Hearings Resume. “During his second confirmation hearing Tuesday, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo dodged questions about how much time he’s been spending at the University of Florida where he also works, his plan for promoting boosters and his association with a ‘fringe medical group’. He also refused, again, to say whether he has been vaccinated…” [Tallahassee Democrat, 2/8/22]
A Senate Committee Advances Joseph Ladapo’s Confirmation As Florida’s Surgeon General. “Ladapo and DeSantis, in part, have posed questions about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, opposed lockdowns and rejected mask and vaccination requirements…Ladapo drew additional scrutiny because of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement background check conducted for the Senate. In the report, an unidentified former supervisor of Ladapo’s at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine said Ladapo’s hands-off approach to COVID-19 violated the doctor’s Hippocratic oath of doing no harm and ‘created stress and acrimony among his coworkers and supervisors.’” [WUSF, 2/8/22]
Second Senate Committee Votes To Confirm Ladapo. Bracy, Other Democrats Oppose: “I Think It Promotes A Dangerous, Ugly Kind Of Politics”. “Ladapo not only said masking was ineffective against Omicron, which goes against several CDC studies, but that vaccination should be a personal and private choice, refusing to disclose his own vaccination status.” [WMFE, 2/8/22]
Florida Surgeon General Moves Closer To Confirmation After Tense Hearing. “Ladapo, who’s served in the role as Surgeon General for several months as he moves toward an official senate confirmation, continued to express his opposition to mask mandates and reiterated the state’s new testing policy – that people who do not have symptoms should consider not getting tested for COVID.” [CBS 12, 2/8/22]
Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo One Step Away From Senate Confirmation. “[America’s Frontline Doctors], which spoke out against coronavirus restrictions like business closures, hosted a news conference at which Ladapo spoke on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020…When asked to describe that organization, Ladapo first said he could not do so accurately. But he later said the group included his friends and colleagues, and that he was at the Supreme Court that day in 2020 to show his support for the group’s stance on respecting individual medical preferences.” [Tampa Bay Times, 2/8/22]