‘Bloodletting Is Among the Ingredients of Political Medicine.’ — Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821)
Editor-In-Chief, Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret.), MC, USA
On Sept. 12, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that every American 6 months and older should receive the updated COVID-19 vaccination from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. Having avoided COVID-19 infection since its arrival on our shores in 2020, I was pleased that an updated booster would soon be available, and my wife scheduled a time for us to receive both the COVID-19 and flu vaccinations. Alas, my number was up, and the fickle finger of fate allowed COVID-19 to set up shop in my body. It was disheartening to see the double blue lines on the test just 72 hours away from my next booster. Despite four vaccinations, avoiding superspreader events, gallons of hand sanitizer and just being a good bloke, I was now another statistic.
I allowed myself a good 15 minutes, holding the offending COVID-19 test card, for self-pity and thoughts of how unfair the universe truly is. I then got on the phone, scheduled an appointment with my primary care physician and took my first dose of Paxlovid that evening. I have always been at risk for complications from COVID-19 because of my unflattering respiratory history and burn pit exposure. Even though I was feeling particularly crappy, I was grateful that my symptoms were hardly worse than a bad cold. Epic (in the Oxford meaning of the word) vaccine science had trained my immune system to recognize this killer virus and prevent the worst consequences that have befallen so many unfortunate citizens. Thanks to Paxlovid, my symptoms lasted only four days. My recommended quarantine period ended yesterday, so reading this should be safe (kidding, of course).
During the height of my infection, as my body waged war on the COVID-19 invader, I had a feeling that this contagion would have ravaged my body to a far greater extent, had I not been protected by modern medical science. The exhaustion alone that I experienced was profoundly frightening. My journey with COVID-19 has been intellectually stimulating, but I give the experience zero stars.
Are my feelings regarding this infection of any scientific merit? Hardly. On the other hand, millions of American families would likely validate my outlook, since they have experienced the loss of a loved one to COVID-19 (more than 1 million deaths last time I checked). I was, therefore, shocked and appalled when I learned that Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has countered CDC federal guidance and recommended Floridians under 65 not get the new COVID-19 booster. He claims the booster was created without “meaningful” clinical data. In reality, the COVID-19 vaccines are the most extensively studied vaccinations in human history. Lamenting the lack of data on the most-recent booster version is akin to claiming the new flu shot introduced every year is unsafe and untested. As a physician, Ladapo has the education and credentials to claim an informed opinion, even if it is wrong. Medical science is certainly no stranger to Looney-Tunes theories.
Ladapo’s boss, on the other hand, and his comments regarding the booster were more concerning for me. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently commented:
“I will not stand by and let the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] and CDC use healthy Floridians as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not been proven to be safe or effective. Once again, Florida is the first state in the nation to stand up and provide guidance based on truth, not Washington edicts.”1
As a Florida resident and voter, I have some experience with DeSantis. He is many things; decorum prevents a listing here, but he is no physician. His warped politics of vaccine denial will, in my opinion, go down in history as one of the most caustic and harmful partisan falsehoods any politician has ever brandished to obtain political gain. I am ashamed of my governor’s willingness to lambaste federal medicine as embodied by the FDA and CDC to pander to a political ideology. The FDA and CDC have been and will continue to be world leaders and public lifelines for the scourge of COVID-19 and the other infectious diseases that will undoubtedly be in our future. Federal medicine workers at the FDA and CDC go home every night from work knowing that their toils save American lives. Through his scientifically barren belief system, DeSantis will only confuse many Floridians who, sadly, will likely pay with their lives.
Yes, yes. I can hear the cries of foul from the proverbial cheap seats. I understand that DeSantis is entitled to his opinion (political or otherwise) and, in our society, is free to express it. Like many reading this column, I spent a career defending that right. Fortunately, I am also permitted to give an opinion. The freedom to exchange ideas and counter them without fear of repression is at the heart of our democracy.
Moreover, I have the training and understanding of medical science to recognize the danger and tyranny of medical advice based on political calculus rather than patient outcomes. I have the added comfort of overwhelming empirical epidemiologic data that many millions of lives (including mine) have been spared the ravages of COVID-19 because of vaccination. I am unaware of the Florida governor’s conspiracy belief system saving anyone. Perhaps he is taking a Napoleonic page from political history in the belief that a bit of bloodletting in the citizenry is required to govern. I am no politician (insert happy dance here), but routine bloodletting left medical practice centuries ago. I remain committed to applying the best available science for the best outcomes for my patients. Because of the evidence, I will get the new booster as soon as possible and recommend it to anyone who will listen.
- https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article279301344.html. Accessed 25 September 2023
