Miami Herald Takes DeSantis to Task Over Covid Vaccine Comments

On Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) insisted that whether oregon not a idiosyncratic gets a Covid-19 vaccine comes down to “personal choice.”

“It’s astir your wellness and whether you privation that extortion oregon not. It truly doesn’t interaction maine oregon anyone else,” helium said astatine the time.

DeSantis’s remarks opened him up to harsh criticism from the editorial committee of the Miami Herald, who admonished him for exhibiting “a illustration successful selfishness.”

“Almost 46,000 person died of COVID successful his authorities since the pandemic began. Too atrocious we can’t inquire the thousands who person died since vaccines became disposable if they wished everyone astir them had gotten vaccinated,” the committee wrote.

“This politician already has gone to warfare against schoolhouse boards and parents who privation to support kids safer successful schools with disguise mandates. He’s fought against cruise lines that privation to sphere their businesses by making definite their customers tin enactment COVID-free connected ships, by requiring vaccines. Now he’s dismissing the relation of vaccines successful reducing assemblage spread,” they added. “And it’s the other of what helium says. COVID’s dispersed really is simply a assemblage problem, and solving it starts with vaccines.”

The committee went connected to enactment that Covid-19 vaccines “vastly reduces the chances of being hospitalized oregon dying of the disease” arsenic good arsenic trim “the dispersed of the microorganism to others.” saying that DeSantis is flagrantly disregarding the world of however vaccines work.

DeSantis’s assertion besides earned a crisp rebuke from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s starring adept connected infectious diseases.

“If helium (DeSantis) feels that vaccines are not important for people, that they are conscionable important for immoderate people, that’s wholly incorrect,” Fauci said during a broadcast of CNN’s “New Day.”