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Florida officials are issuing conflicting statements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about COVID-19 vaccines.
The Florida Department of Health has advised against using mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, but that direction goes against what the CDC recommends.
Dr. Edwin Michael is a professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida.
He said when it comes to getting the vaccine – people should make choices based on personal health.
“You do your own calculus. If you’re older and if you’ve got those co-morbidities, then go and get the vaccine,” Michael said.
He also says the future of the virus is uncertain.
“I think the CDC is precautious, and maybe an overabundance of precaution because you just don’t know what the mutants are going to do. How much more transmissible, how much more severe, you just don’t know,” Michael said.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has been an outspoken denier of the vaccine.
He became controversial during the pandemic – critics say he has promoted vaccine hesitancy and spread misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Florida Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment.
Health department data shows the total number of deaths in the state has topped 4,400 this year, with 256 deaths in Pinellas and 217 in Hillsborough.
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