TALLAHASSEE — The Supreme Court from Florida will convene a grand jury, at the request of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, to investigate matters relating to the vaccines against COVID-19, the state’s highest court announced.
The governor called for the inquiry a few days ago, after hearing statements about possible side effects that have not been reported.
Vaccine studies funded by the pharmaceutical companies that developed the COVID-19 vaccines have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine, as well as on government panels as part of the expedited process required by then-The President Donald Trump, during the peak period of the pandemic in 2020.
In his request, Governor DeSantis said the pharmaceutical companies had a financial interest in creating an environment where people believed that getting vaccinated against the coronavirus would ensure they would not be able to spread the virus to others. In his opinion, more research on the subject is needed.
DeSantis announced the Florida Supreme Court filing Dec. 13 during a meeting with state public health director Joseph Ladapo and a group of scientists and physicians who cited allegations that drug companies failed to provide all the facts about vaccines. .
“We’re going to get that data whether we want to or not,” DeSantis said. “It’s illegal in Florida to misrepresent or mislead, especially when it comes to the effectiveness of a drug,” he stressed during the meeting.
State grand juries, usually composed of 18 people, can answer questions and even investigate criminal activity and issue charges, as well as look into systemic problems in Florida and make recommendations.
Either way, the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed at least 80,000 lives in Florida, has been tamed after a large vaccination campaign was conducted.
