DeSantis needs to set aside his desire to cater to the anti-vaccination radicals

To the Editor

Now that the Food and Drug Administration has fully approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 or older, Gov. DeSantis needs to put the same kind of energy and effort into promoting vaccination as he has poured into touting a treatment in which one of his top donors is heavily invested to the tune of millions of dollars.
In fact, he needs to put about 40 times more effort into it, because that is the approximate difference in cost between a $25 vaccine and the $1,000 treatment he is so eagerly pushing. If he fails to do so, it will seriously call into question his motivations for promoting one approach versus the other.
Additionally, it is high time he steps aside to allow local governments, educational institutions and businesses to require vaccinations for employees, students and customers if they feel that measure is called for to help save lives.
DeSantis needs to set aside his desire to cater to the anti-vaccination radicals in the Republican Party base, along with any other considerations he may have, and enthusiastically champion a vaccine that has earned the ultimate endorsement of safety and effectiveness from the Food and Drug Administration. It is time for DeSantis to put the needs of Floridians above all else and become our state’s top promoter for vaccination.

Manny Diaz
Chairman
Florida Democratic Party