In a move that some health experts call "irresponsible" and "dangerous," Florida's Department of Health is urging parents not to vaccinate healthy children against COVID-19.
The department issued new guidance on Tuesday, saying healthy children aged 5 to 17 may not benefit from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine. Florida is the first state in the nation to recommend against vaccinations.
"Based on currently available data, the risks of administering COVID-19 vaccination among healthy children may outweigh the benefits," Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo said in a statement. "That is why these decisions should be made on an individual basis, and never mandated."
The department said that in general, healthy children with no significant underlying health conditions under 16 years old "are at little to no risk of severe illness complications from COVID-19." It added that for children age 16 to 17, "the risk of myocarditis due to the COVID-19 vaccines may outweigh the benefits."
The health department noted that parents who have children with underlying conditions should consider vaccination in consultation with a health care provider. It also stressed that the decision to vaccinate should be made on an individual basis.
The advice goes against guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends the vaccine for children ages 5 and older. The CDC notes that COVID-19 ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death for children ages 5 through 11 years.
The American Academy of Pediatrics called Florida's decision "irresponsible," reasserting that the COVID-19 vaccine is still the nation's "best hope for ending the pandemic," ABC News reported. White House press secretary Jen Psaki also denounced the state's decision, according to ABC, telling reporters that it was "deeply disturbing" and "absolutely not" a good policy.
Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said the state’s decision to go against the CDC is "completely unsupported."
"Although it is true that children are less likely to be infected and it is true that children are less likely to be severely infected, they can still be infected, and they can still be severely infected," Offit told CNN. "If you have a vaccine which is safe, which this is, and is effective, which this is, then you give it."
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried also condemned the recommendation, saying it promotes "dangerous COVID-19 misinformation that goes against all mainstream medical guidance," WFLA reported.
The guidance comes a day after Republican Governor Ron DeSantis hosted a roundtable with physicians and epidemiologists to discuss "the failures of lockdowns and mandates" in response to COVID-19, including the negative impacts on mental health associated with isolation.
"I think what Florida's guidance reflects is the latest research," DeSantis told reporters, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The governor added that he's seen studies showing that healthy kids are at low risk and the vaccine provides "very little benefit" for them.
Nearly 1,600 children in the United States have died of COVID during the pandemic, including 44 in Florida.
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