The only two physicians running for the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board today issued a stinging rebuke to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s recommendation not to take the COVID-19 booster vaccine.
SARASOTA – The only two physicians running for the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board today issued a stinging rebuke to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s recommendation not to take the COVID-19 booster vaccine.
Dr. Dale P. Anderson, who practiced internal and emergency medicine and managed medical groups for 25 years, and Dr. George Davis, who practiced family medicine for 35 years, are among the four Democrats and only two medical doctors running in the Nov. 5 election for the Hospital Board. Alan J. Sprintz, a longtime hospital administrator, and Vicki Nighswander, a public health expert, round out the Democratic ticket.
Anderson, a graduate of the Northwestern University Medical School, said Ladapo’s recommendation was “not supported by the overwhelming consensus of scientific research and public health authorities.”
“COVID-19 vaccines significantly reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death, especially as new variants emerge,” Anderson said. “Studies have demonstrated that immunity can wane over time. Boosters help restore and strengthen the body's immune response, offering enhanced protection against variants. Expert scientific bodies such as the (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization recommend boosters, particularly for vulnerable populations … Refusing a booster based on unfounded fears or misinformation is a bad decision for an individual’s personal health and puts the community at greater risk.”
Anderson said it was now incumbent an all the Republicans running for the Hospital Board “to speak out and condemn their Surgeon General’s statements and recommendations. This is an opportunity for them to prove they put patients ahead of party. Dr. Ladapo needs to have his license revoked by the Florida Board of Medicine for this egregious, non-scientific, political statements.”
Davis, a Harvard graduate who earned his medical degree at Columbia, said Ladapo “must change his position on vaccines and fulfill his role to protect the residents of Florida.”
“The new Covid-19 booster targets new variants of this very serious and deadly disease. The booster uses our immune system to keep the virus from causing harm. The Surgeon General is misinformed, and his arguments have been proven to be false when he first presented them. The Federal Drug Administration, the CDC, Yale Medicine, and the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health all refute his claims. But there is a greater danger from his assertions. His statements are causing more vaccine hesitancy generally and that is causing a serious danger to Florida's children. Measles is one example. Measles is a serious, sometime fatal, disease in children. It is totally preventable, and the vaccine has proven to be very safe and effective over decades of use. The rate of measles vaccination in Florida is much too low.”
Among them, Anderson, Davis, Sprintz and Nighswander collectively have more than a century of experience and expertise in medicine, hospital administration and public health.
The Sarasota County Democratic Party (SCDP) is the local committee of the Florida Democratic Party. The mission of the SCDP is to encourage the fullest participation by all voters who believe in true freedom and fairness in our society. We stand up for justice, equality, and opportunity for our citizens and support qualified candidates who will promote these goals.Learn more at www.sarasotadems.org.
Contact Information: daniel.kuether@sarasotadems.org 941-330-9400
