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Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was called out for his false and inaccurate claim that COVID-19 boosters actually increase your chances of getting the illness.
The erstwhile 2024 GOP presidential hopeful—who left the race on Sunday after coming in second to former President Donald Trump during last week's Iowa caucuses:
“They lied to us about the COVID shots. Remember, they said if you take a COVID shot, you will not get COVID? How true was that?"
"Not at all. Now, every booster you take, you’re more likely to get COVID as a result of it.”
“And they would never talk about any type of side effects. I mean, think about this. Any pharmaceutical that is put on the market when they run these commercials, it’s like the first 30 seconds of the commercial, it’s usually like a married couple, probably like 60 to 65, just walking on the beach or wherever, laughing, having fun because of this miracle drug, right?"
"And then the next 30 seconds is like, you could die, heart attack, this, stroke, and they list all the possible side effects because they’re covering their rear end. But yet, when the mRNA shots came out, they said, with a very short lead time, oh yeah, you know, no problem, you can't have any questions.”
You can hear what DeSantis said in the video below.
Contrary to DeSantis' claim, COVID boosters have been shown to be approximately 30% effective in preventing infection. The source of DeSantis' assertion remains unclear, and it contradicts established scientific evidence on the efficacy of booster shots.
There is no conclusive evidence supporting the notion that individuals who have received COVID-19 booster shots are more prone to infection, according to experts.
Several factors contribute to the lack of clear evidence in this regard. Determining infection rates across the entire population is challenging, as many studies focus on younger and healthier individuals, who may not represent the broader demographics. Additionally, individuals who choose not to get vaccinated or undergo testing may go unaccounted for, creating potential distortions in any comparative analysis
DeSantis was harshly criticized for his bonkers claim.
This is not the first instance of DeSantis making such a claim.
In January 2023, he stated at a Florida press conference that "with these new boosters, you’re more likely to get infected with the bivalent booster."
Despite DeSantis' skepticism about COVID boosters, Florida's vaccination rate is comparable to that of Illinois, a traditionally Democratic stronghold. Both states report over 70% of their populations as "fully vaccinated" against COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.