TALLAHASSEE — The Supreme Court from Florida will convene a grand jury at the request of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to investigate any crimes related to the vaccines against COVID-19, the state’s highest court announced Thursday.
The governor requested the inquiry this month. Part of the investigation will focus on obtaining more information from pharmaceutical companies about vaccines and their potential side effects.
Vaccine studies funded by the pharmaceutical companies that developed the COVID-19 vaccines have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, and government commissions have reviewed data on the safety and efficacy of injections before approve its use.
In his filing, Governor DeSantis argues that 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 investigate criminal activity and hand down indictments, but also look into systemic problems in Florida and make recommendations. Active panels have recently worked on the issues of immigration and school safety.
The investigative jury will meet for one year.
