Where is Tommy Thompson, HHS, and CDC regarding the flu vaccine?

[blondeatlast]

I seem to recall in the past they have been very visible and vocal in the past regarding major health risks.

Particularly the CDC; I find their silence very, very odd...

[sybylla]

1. What shortage, there is no shortage.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/10/18/flu/index.html

The shortage of flu vaccine in the United States is "not a health crisis," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said, urging people to be patient as the government works to reallocate the nation's limited number of vaccines.

"I would like to tell individuals just be calm and don't stand in line, because we have approximately 24 million doses of vaccine that have not been shipped yet," Thompson said Sunday.

... "Come back another day, and if the individual clinics or nursing homes don't have the vaccine right now, let us know," Thompson said.

"The worst thing for seniors to do is to wait in line and get sick while they are waiting in line. Please, just understand that we're on top of this thing, and we are doing everything we possibly can to protect you and we're going to be able to continue to do so."

[Bluebear]

2. Terry Holt, Bush mouthpiece said today it's not a problem

and stop "scaring" people. Disgraceful.

[blondeatlast]

3. 24 million doses? For TWO-HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE MILLION

people???

I suspect these are the nasal vaccines, anyway, which are far less effective than the injectables.

[Lizzie Borden]

7. Being from Wisconsin,

which is Tommy's home state, I can tell you that at least those living in the southern part of the state, know that Tommy's out to lunch. At best, he is a cheerleader which is probably why he fits on the Bush team.

[sybylla]

10. Yeah, was at a Dem dinner in WI over the weekend and

one of the speakers said that you know you're in trouble when the least conservative member of an administration is Tommy Thompson.

[Cocoa]

4. Tommy is in a job interview

he'll be CEO of a drug company or an HMO when Bush loses.

[blondeatlast]

6. Excellent point, excellent!

He's posting his resume on Monster.com now.

Which gives me a very wicked idea, but I don't have the chutzpah.

[WI_DEM]

5. If I know Tommy (and I think I do)

he is either in a bar or a brothel.

[speedoo]

8. Tommy was on Faux yesterday.

Said everything was just fine. I didn't bother to watch after he said that, but I am confident the faux newspeople were happy with his answer.

[Rose Siding]

9. Yesterday, Thompson told seniors to calm down, that there's no crisis

[bigtree]

11. Statement by John Kerry on Secretary Thompson Comments on the Flu

Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Senator John Kerry released the following statement today:

“Today, Secretary Thompson said that the shortage of flu vaccines is ‘not a crisis’, even though we only have about half the vaccines that are necessary. Why doesn’t he tell that to the elderly Americans who are waiting in line for hours to get their shot? Why doesn’t he tell that to thousands of pregnant women or people sick with cancer or other diseases who won’t be able to get a vaccine even though they are high risk? Or what about the nurses or doctors who have to turn patients away or parents who cannot afford to miss weeks of work to stay at home with a sick kid? The Bush administration simply does not get it. They didn’t take action to avert this shortage, despite the fact they had been warned for years. Yet again the Bush health care policy sends a clear message to Americans: don’t get sick.”

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_1017d.html

[JohnnyCougar]

12. You mean Tommy Thompson's not in hell right now? Rats.

I've been waiting for that day to come.

[Lefty48197]

13. Tommy just said: Everything's cool. Don't panic.

PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC
Tommy didn't handle the 9/11 situation very well either.