Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has done a complete 180 turn regarding the COVID-19 vaccines and most of his supporters today will not try to remember that he once supported the medicine. This week, he requested a grand jury investigation into possible malfeasance by the major COVID-19 vaccine makers. DeSantis has vehemently opposed pandemic-related requirements and lockdowns.
Tuesday during a “accountability roundtable” looking at the vaccine’s drawbacks and adverse effects as well as the efficacy claims made by the two COVID-19 mRNA-vaccine makers, Moderna and Pfizer, Mr. DeSantis announced the grand jury investigation.
Mr. DeSantis, who was re-elected by 20 points in November and is increasingly being considered as a 2024 presidential candidate, said, “Today I’m announcing a petition with the Supreme Court of Florida to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate any and all wrongdoing in Florida with respect to COVID-19 vaccines.” The governor declared that he anticipates the Supreme Court will approve the grand jury investigation.
If so, it would mark the first state-ordered investigation in the country into the COVID-19 shots and the guilt of the two pharmaceutical behemoths Moderna and Pfizer, who created and sold the vaccinations.
The impending grand jury investigation in Florida is in response to a steady stream of facts showing that the shots do not stop people from catching the virus, transmitting it, or keeping them from becoming extremely ill, and may even be harmful for some age groups.
According to a computer-model estimate from the liberal Commonwealth Fund, the 655 million doses of the shot given in the US had collectively avoided 3 million deaths and 18 million hospitalizations.
However, other studies have shown that with time, the vaccine and boosters’ protective effects become essentially nil, and there is mounting evidence that they can even harm the heart, especially in young men.
Pfizer’s vaccine, according to a spokesperson, Sharon J. Castillo, has prevented hundreds of thousands of deaths and has been approved by regulatory bodies worldwide “based on comprehensive and independent examination of the scientific facts on quality, safety, and efficacy.”
Additional research on vaccine recipients “complements the clinical trial findings and provides additional proof that the vaccine provides effective protection against severe disease,” according to Ms. Castillo.
The grand jury’s announcement marks the end of Mr. DeSantis’ two-year opposition to federal government responses to the pandemic, including mask requirements, closures of schools and businesses, and a strong focus on vaccines that were rushed into production with insufficient testing for safety and side effects.
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The governor, 44, gained global attention and won reelection with a landslide because to his unconventional reaction to the virus. In certain GOP primary polls, he is currently ahead of former President Donald Trump.
According to a Suffolk University poll issued on Tuesday, 56% of Republican and independent voters who identified as conservative or very conservative said they preferred Mr. DeSantis to Mr. Trump, and 65% of those same respondents said they wanted Mr. DeSantis to run for president.
As DeSantis has politically evolved on the vaccines, Mr. Trump, who recently declared his candidacy for president in 2024, continues to be a staunch supporter of the vaccines, whose speedy development he helped assure through his administration’s “Operation Warp Speed.”
Mr. DeSantis has been a vocal opponent of vaccines, and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who serves as his chief health officer, has advised men under 40 not to get immunized, citing research from the Florida Department of Health that found an elevated risk of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart.
The advice cost Mr. Ladapo a brief suspension from Twitter and received harsh condemnation from medical professionals who assert that the shots have saved lives.
Democrats, who supported the shots and the related state and federal laws that forced many employees and children to get them, have used Mr. DeSantis’ anti-vaccine stance to make him a top political villain.
The federal government initially promoted the vaccinations as shots that would stop the spread of COVID-19 and allow the country to return to normal. Mr. Ladapo and a panel of other health experts raised concerns about the safety and efficacy of the vaccinations at Tuesday’s roundtable, which was hosted by Mr. DeSantis and featured Mr. Ladapo.
The statements made by the vaccine manufacturers regarding the safeguards offered by the shots would be examined by jurors, according to Mr. DeSantis. He claimed that the vaccines “had created a fortune” for those pharmaceutical companies.
In Florida, it is illegal to give false information about a drug’s effectiveness, according to Mr. DeSantis. Although Mr. DeSantis did not say explicitly that he was suing the two businesses for money, he did mention that Florida had just recovered $3.2 billion from the producers and sellers of opioids.
The grand jury would also look into adverse reactions to vaccinations including myocarditis and blood clots, which have been challenging to monitor because to a paucity of data made public by Pfizer and Moderna. Whether they want to provide the data or not, Mr. DeSantis speculated, “maybe we’ll be able to acquire it either way.”
Regarding Mr. DeSantis’ proposals for a grand jury investigation into the vaccines, Mr. Trump made no public comments. He published the findings of a Politico/Morning Consult survey on Tuesday, showing him to be ahead of Mr. DeSantis, 49% to 31%.
