DeSantis Seeks to Investigate Covid-19 Vaccines

As part of an ongoing struggle with the Biden administration and its Covid-19 policies, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FLA) has asked the state’s supreme court to impanel a grand jury to investigate the alleged spreading of false and misleading claims as per the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccines.

Stating that it is against Florida law to mislead the public, DeSantis has suggested that vaccine manufacturing companies have used the Covid-19 mandates to profit from the production and sale of the vaccines.

But DeSantis said during a live-streamed round table discussion with Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo that it’s against Florida law to mislead the public, especially when it comes to drug safety. He sought to undermine the efficacy of the Covid vaccine and claimed that vaccine manufacturers such as Moderna have made a fortune on Covid-19 mandates.

In its petition to the Florida Supreme Court, the DeSantis administration stated that the pharmaceutical industry has been in the habit of misleading the public for the purposes of financial gain. If the state’s high court accedes to the request, the grand jury will be charged with investigating the development, promotion, and distribution of vaccines said to prevent Covid-19 infection, symptoms, and transmission.

…the DeSantis administration said that the “pharmaceutical industry has a notorious history of misleading the public for financial gain” and the grand jury will probe “the development, promotion, and distribution of vaccines purported to prevent COVID-19 infection, symptoms, and transmission.”

DeSantis has been critical of both the Biden Administration and the general medical community in their responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Under his governorship, the state of Florida resisted the general mandates that saw businesses and schools closed and the public obligated to wear masks. The governor and Florida’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, have rejected vaccines for young children even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the shot for kids under 5.

Along with the request for a grand jury, Ladapo announced the establishment of the Public Health Integrity Committee. The panel will offer public guidance on Covid treatment options and keep a critical eye on information released by the United States Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

DeSantis and Ladapo’s efforts have recently focused on mRNA vaccines developed by the Pfizer and Moderna companies. Ladapo has argued that the production and development of the treatment were rushed. He has also cited cases of patients who, after receiving the mRNA treatment, have reported serious complications such as, serious joint and muscle pain and hospitalization.

The Florida governor’s petition is backed by Harvard epidemiologist Martin Kulldorff and Stanford University medical professor Jay Bhattacharya, both of whom have called for the elimination of most Covid restrictions, preferring the adoption of herd immunity measures.