Covid Boosters Aren’t for Everyone

The left has smeared these results as “anti-science,” as

Holden Thorpe,

the editor of Science, recently stated in an editorial. But time and again, the unorthodox science related to Covid-19 becomes the mainstream. Scientists have been attacked for questioning the efficacy of lockdowns, for urging schools to reopen, for challenging the effectiveness of mask mandates, and for opposing vaccine mandates and passports. The scientists asking these questions had the data on their side, but critics bowed to fear and political ideology.

It’s happening again. The increased risk of cardiovascular events following the Covid-19 vaccine isn’t news; it has been known for over a year. Research has identified cardiovascular risks in the general population, and especially among young males following Covid-19 mRNA vaccination:

• A Scandinavian study in JAMA Open noted an increased risk of coronary artery disease after

Moderna’s

mRNA vaccine, along with an increased risk of cerebrovascular disease after both

Pfizer

and Moderna mRNA vaccines.

• Findings in the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research suggest that Covid-19 mRNA vaccination could be associated with an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction among Medicare enrollees.

• A study in JAMA Cardiology reported that Covid-19 mRNA vaccination increased the incidence of diagnosed myocarditis in males 16 to 24 by as much as a factor of 18 after the second dose.

• A study completed in Israel and published in Scientific Reports found that Covid-19 vaccine rollout was associated with an increase in acute cardiac events among young people.

Every study must remain within its parameters, and the sample size of young men who met conditions to be included in our study was 77. But our findings are consistent with the data above.

I wouldn’t have necessarily made my recommendation in earlier stages of the pandemic; the guidance in our study clearly states that it is based on the current high level of global immunity to Covid-19, which limits the benefit of vaccination.

Backed by the data, I stand by my recommendation against Covid-19 mRNA vaccination for young men. At this point in the pandemic, it is unlikely that the benefits outweigh these risks. The public can be assured that I will continue to lead with data, and I will place their interests ahead of political pressure and fear-based ideologies.

Dr. Ladapo is surgeon general of Florida and a professor of medicine at the University of Florida.