FLORIDA DEMOCRATS WALK OUT

https://www.theepochtimes.com/florida-democrats-walk-out-on-surgeon-generals-confirmation-hearing_4241065.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_campaign=breaking-2022-01-28-2&utm_medium=email&est=c1gMSz8lnZyMpBAt5B97nYToG%2F05u8Kuhc0ck2UfSc%2F6qebLuXCIl5VEd2QTj15w

Florida Democrats Walk Out on Surgeon General’s Confirmation Hearing

In a sign of solidarity Jan. 26 Florida House Democrats walked out before a vote came on the state surgeon general’s confirmation.

Democrats said the reason for the walkout was because Dr. Joseph Ladapo could not “adequately answer questions on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

During the meeting of the Health Policy Committee on Jan. 26, Sen. Democrat leader Lauren Book pressed Ladapo on a “yes or no” answer on whether he thought vaccines were effective against COVID-19.

Ladapo declined to answer one way or another based on the complexity of the issue.

“Yes or no questions are not that easy to find in science,” he said.

“The most commonly used vaccines in the United States … have been shown to have relatively high effectiveness for the prevention of hospitalization and death and over time relatively low protection for infection.”

He was also pressed as to why Dr. Raul Pino, an Orange County health chief was put on administrative leave.

Pino was put on leave last week after sending out an email to health department staff highlighting the department’s low vaccination rates and urged all employees to get vaccinated.

In another matter senators asked Ladapo if he “regretted not wearing a mask” during a meeting with state Sen. Tina Polsky after she asked him to wear one because she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy at the time.

Not admitting any regrets, instead he stressed that he thought it was important to “respect people’s preferences.”

Exasperated, Book said after an hour of questioning that “We don’t feel we are getting any answers.” Ladapo told reporters after the meeting that he thought he had accurately answered the questions.