vaccinations

Dr. Scott Rivkees, a pediatrician who served as surgeon general from 2019 to 2021, says the state is going backward when it comes to childhood vaccines.

The plan would include only chickenpox and a few other diseases unless state lawmakers decide to expand it.

Doctors, medical experts and politicians on both sides of the aisle are pushing back on a plan from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to end all vaccine requirements in the state.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, along with Gov. Ron DeSantis, made the announcement Wednesday.

The state agency advises people to skip the shot because it doesn’t target the current dominant variant. A USF epidemiologist says it will still be effective.

Dr. Simone Gold was issued a medical license from the Florida Department of Health and has opened an online practice based in Naples.

COVID-19 vaccination rates among children remain low in Florida and nationally. Doctors hope parents will take advantage of the summer break to get their kids protected before school starts.

Pointing to a new state law, a federal judge has decided to reconsider Florida’s request for an injunction against a Biden administration requirement that workers at hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care providers be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Florida’s surgeon general is now stripped of the authority to mandate vaccines under declared public health emergencies. That’s under a new law signed by the governor yesterday.

Saying the state is trying to prevent “immediate irreparable harm,” Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office is seeking a preliminary injunction to block Biden administration efforts to require employees of federal contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19.