Jen Psaki Rips Florida Surgeon General for Advising Against Vaccines for Healthy Children: ‘Deeply Disturbing’

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki ripped Florida’s Surgeon General for advising against Covid vaccines for healthy children, despite a scientific consensus to the contrary.

On Monday, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced that “The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children,” and cited a single non-peer-reviewed study on the duration of protection in children between the ages of 5 and 11.

At Monday’s White House press briefing, Associated Press White House correspondent Josh Boak asked Psaki about the state surgeon general’s announcement, and Ms. Psaki denounced Ladapo’s “deeply disturbing” decision, equating him to “politicians peddling conspiracy theories”:

MR. BOAK: And then, last, the Florida Surgeon General says that healthy children shouldn’t get COVID vaccines. Is that a good policy?

MS. PSAKI: Absolutely not. Let me just note that we know the science, we know the data and what works and what is the most — what the most effective steps are in protecting people of a range of ages from hospitalization and even death.

The FDA and CDC have already weighed in in the safety — on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for those five and older. The recommendations are vetted transparently through a process for — with a purpose so that parents can have confidence, after consulting with their pediatricians or doctors if they would like, about the safety.

But we also know through the data that unvaccinated teenagers are three times as likely to be hospitalized if they get COVID than vaccinated teenagers.

So, it’s deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccinations when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized.

Watch above via NBC News.