Florida Surgeon General Faces Criticism Over Survey Editing

Matt McGregorApril 29, 2023

Florida Surgeon General Under Fire for Allegedly Exaggerating Risk of mRNA Vaccines

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is facing criticism after a public record request showed that he had edited a state-commissioned study on messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccinations. According to critics in the medical field, his edits suggest that he was trying to exaggerate the risk of cardiac death from mRNA vaccines in males 18 to 39.

Ladapo reported the data to show that there was a sharp increase in heart-related deaths among young men in that age range and recommended they not get the vaccine, which contradicted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) stance on the vaccines.

Ladapo based this recommendation not only on the Florida study but also studies from Scandinavia, England, and the rest of the United States.

Questioning the Safety and Efficacy of Vaccines

Since their rollout, Ladapo has questioned the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and has been critical of policies mandating them to the ire of federal public health agencies and media that promote the “safe and effective” narrative.

In Politico, Matt Hitchings, an assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida, called his edits “a lie.” Hitchings, who disagreed with the findings in the initial study, said there was political motivation behind his Ladapo’s changes.

Daniel Salmon, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said his edits were “troubling.”

“He took out stuff that didn’t support his position,” Salmon said. “That’s really a problem.”

Dr. Harvey Risch, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, who’s sided with Ladapo on his assessment of the vaccines, disagreed with the criticism, calling Ladapo “an honest broker and thus trustworthy in his methods and conclusions.”

“I’m not seeing any issues of substance here,” Risch said.

Ladapo Responds to Criticism

Ladapo responded to the criticism on Twitter stating, “PhD-trained physician revises report based on his scientific expertise = ‘scandalous altering of results.’ Fauci enthusiasts are terrified and will do anything to divert attention from the risks of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines—especially cardiac deaths. Truth will prevail.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health told The Epoch Times that, given the high level of immunity, there’s no reason to continue administering the vaccine.