Louisiana Public Health Officer Joe Kanter, a fierce COVID vaccine champion, resigns

Louisiana Public Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter, a fierce champion of vaccines who helped guide the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, has resigned.

A Louisiana Department of Health spokesman confirmed Kanter's resignation to USA Today Network and said Deputy Secretary Dr. Pete Croughan will fill the position on an interim basis under new Secretary Dr. Ralph Abraham.

The agency didn't provide any more details. USA Today Network is seeking comment from Kanter.

Kanter, who took over the job in 2021, became a familiar face during the pandemic and in its aftermath when he appeared regularly with former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards on streaming news conferences that became widely watched.

He praised the COVID-19 vaccines as safe and effective and railed against what he described as rampant misinformation surrounding the vaccines and other treatments.

New Republican Gov. Jeff Landry was less enthusiastic about the vaccines and was often critical of Edwards' handling of pandemic and Edwards' mitigation mandates, but it's unclear whether Landry's election influenced Kanter's decision.

In late 2021, then Attorney General Landry invited Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an adamant COVID-19 vaccine critic banned from social media sites because of spreading what the platforms deemed as immunization misinformation, to testify before the House Health and Welfare Committee.

Kanter followed Kennedy's testimony asserting that the shot was the "deadliest vaccine ever made" with his own, telling lawmakers Kennedy's testimony was a dangerous lie.

"It's a gross misrepresentation," Kanter said then. "I find disinformation like that to be extremely dangerous."

Kanter is still listed as a member of the medical staff at University Health Center in New Orleans and a faculty member at LSU Health Sciences Center and Tulane University School of Medicine, positions he has held in addition to his role as state health officer.

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Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana public health officer who championed COVID vaccines resigns