Florida plans to end all vaccine mandates
Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, the Florida surgeon general, said his state would become the first to end all vaccine mandates, including for schoolchildren. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Dr. Ladapo said.
It is unclear how quickly the change might happen. Dr. Ladapo said that the Florida Department of Health would do away with its rules promoting vaccine mandates, but also that state lawmakers “are going to have to make decisions.”
At the same time, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the creation of a commission to align Florida with goals laid out by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services. The commission will be led by Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife.
In other vaccine news:
Governors in California, Oregon and Washington said their states would work together on vaccine guidance.
Memos show that Dr. Vinay Prasad, a top F.D.A. official, overruled staff scientists who favored widespread access to Covid shots.
Judge rules Harvard research cuts illegal
Harvard University won a legal victory late this afternoon when a federal judge said the Trump administration broke the law when it froze billions of dollars in research funds. The ruling stands to give Harvard leverage with the White House in settlement talks that began in June.