NYT: Advice on Vaccine Shortage Is Lacking, Local Officials Say

[DeepModem Mom]

Advice on Vaccine Shortage Is Lacking, Local Officials Say
By GARDINER HARRIS

Published: October 22, 2004


WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 - Local and state health officials are complaining that their federal counterparts have given them almost no information to deal with the shortage of flu vaccines, and many say that assurances that adequate supplies will eventually become available are hard to believe.

"We don't know where, when or how many flu vaccines have come into our areas or whether it's on the way," Mary Selecky, secretary of health for Washington State, said Thursday.

Ron Osterholm, director of the health department in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, said his county had 14,200 people who qualified under the disease control agency's strict guidelines for flu vaccines. So far, the county has received 3,816 doses of vaccines. Mr. Osterholm said he doubted that his county would receive anything close to the number of doses needed to meet demand.

Mr. Osterholm complained that federal officials kept insisting that people should calm down and contact their local health departments for information. "But we've got no information to give them. Zero. Zip," Mr. Osterholm said.

And in Snohomish County, Wash., the volume of calls to health officials was so heavy for almost two days that they were unable to use the telephone lines at all, said Dr. Ward Hinds, health officer for the district. Dr. Hinds said his county had about 90,000 people at high risk for flu. The county has so far received about 10,000 doses of vaccine, he said....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/22/health/22flu.html

[leftchick]

1. I think this will lose idiotboy* a LOT of senior votes...

They are getting very pissed off about this.

[NJCher]

2. saw a post elsewhere on this forum

The person said they waited with an elderly relative on a long, long line and that everyone in the line blamed bush for this spectacular failure.


Cher

[leftchick]

3. that is good news....

Because he is the one to blame. Sad for the elderly though. With these long lines filmed daily and broadcast on TV, I suppose we must look very much like the old USSR to the rest of the world.