No, COVID-19 vaccines were not declared biological weapons in Florida | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read
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The claim: COVID-19 vaccines classified as 'biological and technological weapons' in Florida

A Sept. 15 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) includes a screen recording of a now-deleted Instagram video where a man is reacting to a news broadcast.

In the broadcast, an anchor discusses the Brevard County Republican Party's call for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders to ban COVID-19 vaccines in the state and label them "biological and technological weapons."

On-screen text included in the video reads, "Florida officially classifies mRNA covid vaccine shots as ... BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL WEAPONS."

The post garnered more than 7,000 shares in four days. Similar versions have been shared on Instagram and Facebook.

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Our rating: False

The broadcast featured in the post discusses a letter from Republicans in a single county in Florida. The letter was signed and addressed to the governor and other state officials, but no further action has been taken by the state.

Resolution not approved by DeSantis

The broadcast shown in the post was aired by Florida outlet WPEC-TV on July 13. At the time, the Brevard County Republican Executive Committee was about to vote on whether to send a letter to DeSantis and other state officials requesting they ban COVID-19 vaccines for being "biological and technological weapons." The station later reported the committee voted to send the letter.

The letter requested DeSantis and the state legislature prohibit the sale and distribution of all COVID-19 vaccines and asked the state's attorney general to conduct a forensic analysis to determine if the vaccine's contents pose a threat to recipients.

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However, the letter was merely a request and is not proof that the state reclassified the vaccine.

No mention of the letter can be found on websites for the governor or Department of Health.

Jae Williams, a health department spokesperson, told Lead Stories classifying anything as a biological weapon is outside the department's scope. USA TODAY reached out to DeSantis' office, the Florida Department of Health and the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The health department website still regularly publishes COVID-19 vaccine updates and features a map of COVID-19 resource sites across the state. The department published guidance on COVID-19 boosters as recently as Sept. 13 but didn't mention anything about biological or technological weapons.

No credible reports have been published about the COVID-19 vaccines being classified as weapons, nor has any legislation passed outlawing the vaccine in Florida.

The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and have been safely administered to hundreds of millions of people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown vaccination greatly reduces the chance of serious illness and death. The CDC reported in February that people vaccinated against COVID-19 were 14 times less likely to die from an infection than the unvaccinated.

The claim was also debunked by PolitiFact.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 vaccine still available in Florida, not banned | Fact check