DeSantis names doctor opposed to masks and vaccine mandates as Florida’s surgeon general

Dr Joseph Ladapo attacked concern over the pandemic as Covid mania' and said there is nothing special' about vaccines

A medical professor who is opposed to mask and vaccine mandates, attacked concern over the pandemic as Covid mania" and likened the eating of fruit and vegetables to the benefits of vaccination has been named as Florida's new surgeon general.

Dr Joseph Ladapo has been appointed to the role by Ron DeSantis, Florida's Republican governor who has railed against restrictions placed upon day-to-day life to dampen the Covid-19 pandemic and has sought to block funding for schools in the state that have attempted to make students wear masks to stop the spread of the virus that has killed more than 675,000 people in the US since the pandemic began.