florida surgeon Dr. Joseph Radapo After a tense hearing, which came close to Senate confirmation on Wednesday, Democrats accused the state’s top doctor of dodging questions about his coronavirus policies and rushing out ahead of the vote.

Radapo, appointed in September Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, He has come under national scrutiny for his alignment with the governor on resisting the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and other virus policies embraced by the White House and federal health officials.

At a Senate Health Policy Committee hearing on Wednesday, Democrats tried to use “yes or no” questions to determine whether Ladapo believes vaccines and masks are effective against the coronavirus and other topics, but Ladapo often gets lengthy calls ‘s answer.

“What I heard was arrogance and polite evasion,” Democratic Senator Janet Cruz said. “So if you don’t mind all these like words you’re applying for, can we just get the answer straight so that more people can hear more.”

In one exchange, Democratic Senator Lauren Booker repeatedly pressured Radapo to ask if he had found a coronavirus vaccine to be effective. Radapo replied, “Yes or no questions are not easy to find in science.”

He continued: “The most commonly used vaccines in the U.S., namely Pfizer’s products and Moderna’s developed products, have been shown to be relatively effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths and, over time, relative susceptibility to infection. The protective capacity is low,” he said.

In another exchange, Book asked the surgeon if he regretted his decision refuse masks In an October meeting with a Democratic state lawmaker, the latter told him she had serious medical problems and later revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer patients are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 and may not develop the same immunity to vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

“Consistent with my approach to clinical care and my approach to health policy issues, I think it’s very important to respect people’s individual preferences, which I think is a common issue,” Radapo said. “So it’s important to respect people’s preferences, and I think when people’s preferences may be different, the goal should be to find a way for those people to be able to achieve whatever outcomes they want to achieve in a way that’s comfortable for everyone.”

After several rounds of back and forth, Booker told the committee “we don’t think we’ve got any answers” and said Democrats would leave the room, refusing to vote on Ladapo’s confirmation.

After the strike, Republicans on the control committee quickly voted to move forward with the surgeon’s confirmation. Radapo Before formal confirmation, he must receive additional approval from a separate committee and the full Senate.