quote:

H1N1 flu is running rampant throughout the U.S., and the country will have received only 25 percent of the vaccine that was expected by the end of October, Sen. Joe Lieberman told a Senate committee hearing Wednesday.

The grim news was the focus of a special hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, at which three Cabinet secretaries were called to address the panel: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

As of last week, there were more than 5,000 cases of flu reported, compared to 7 cases in October of last year. More than 800 people have died from H1N1, including 86 children, according to the latest reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s moved with alarming speed and took an exceptionally high toll at a time of year when we don’t encounter a high number of flu cases,” said Lieberman, I-Conn, who leads the Senate's homeland security committee. “Flu spikes typically occur in January. We’re in October … and the number of cases is higher than what we usually see at the flu’s peak in January.”

<more>

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568838,00.html

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:
Which one is it? Either you guys want the “untested” vaccine or you don’t!

quote:

Originally posted by crackerjacks61:
I bet there is no shortage for people that work for government at one level or the other. What happen to priorities of women, children and health car workers?

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:
Which one is it? Either you guys want the “untested” vaccine or you don’t!

quote:

The federal government originally promised 120 million doses of swine flu vaccine by now. Only 13 million have come through.

As nervous Americans clamor for the vaccine, production is running several weeks behind schedule, and health officials blame the pressure on pharmaceutical companies to crank it out along with the ordinary flu vaccine, and a slow and antiquated process that relies on millions of chicken eggs.

<snip>

In the meantime, many states have had to postpone mass vaccinations. Clinics around the country that managed to obtain doses of the vaccine have been swamped. And doctors are getting bombarded with calls from worried and angry parents.

"Nobody has it," said AnnMarie O'Connor, who waited more than four hours for the vaccine in Rockville, Md., standing in line with her two young children and about 1,000 other people. Health officials "said the shots would be here in early October. But where are they?"

<snip>

Federal health officials initially projected that as many as 120 million doses of the vaccine would be ready to dispense by mid-October. They later reduced their estimate to 45 million. As of Tuesday, only 12.8 million were available.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33420826/ns/health-cold_and_flu/

quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:
Which one is it? Either you guys want the “untested” vaccine or you don’t!

Who are "you guys"?

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:

quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:
Which one is it? Either you guys want the “untested” vaccine or you don’t!

Who are "you guys"?

You and the rest of your party of “NO”! Last week you were all screaming at the top of your lungs & spreading fear how the government is trying to kill you all with an untested vaccine, and now you ***** about there not be enough of it....I wonder what the next whine is going to be about....maybe “the needle is too long”, it’s a conspiracy.

quote:

There's some classic fear-driven hysteria and paranoia themes on this thread ...

quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:

quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:
Which one is it? Either you guys want the “untested” vaccine or you don’t!

Who are "you guys"?

You and the rest of your party of “NO”! Last week you were all screaming at the top of your lungs & spreading fear how the government is trying to kill you all with an untested vaccine, and now you ***** about there not be enough of it....I wonder what the next whine is going to be about....maybe “the needle is too long”, it’s a conspiracy.

Now, now NSNN. You are getting right personal there with your "You". May I suggest you park it? You are welcome to show where I have screamed about anything having to do with an untested vaccine. Yes absolutely, I’ll get into a circle-jerk with you…. Good luck. I wasn't aware, btw, that Independents were the "party of 'NO'". Right…..you “independent”!? You could have possibly gotten away with that claim, uh, maybe 7000+ posts ago…….

quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:

quote:

There's some classic fear-driven hysteria and paranoia themes on this thread ...

Where?

What I see represented in the articles from both Fox and MSNBC is disappointment, frustration, and perhaps a little anger that expectations have not been met. When something is advertised, sold heavily, and then only 10% is delivered, I don't think that that is unreasonable.

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:

quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:

quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:

quote:

Originally posted by NSNN:
Which one is it? Either you guys want the “untested” vaccine or you don’t!

Who are "you guys"?

You and the rest of your party of “NO”! Last week you were all screaming at the top of your lungs & spreading fear how the government is trying to kill you all with an untested vaccine, and now you ***** about there not be enough of it....I wonder what the next whine is going to be about....maybe “the needle is too long”, it’s a conspiracy.

Now, now NSNN. You are getting right personal there with your "You". May I suggest you park it? You are welcome to show where I have screamed about anything having to do with an untested vaccine. Yes absolutely, I’ll get into a circle-jerk with you…. Good luck. I wasn't aware, btw, that Independents were the "party of 'NO'". Right…..you “independent”!? You could have possibly gotten away with that claim, uh, maybe 7000+ posts ago…….

quote:

Originally posted by usmc_family:
I agree with QWERTY that NSNN's post was needlessly and inappropriately personal. It's wrong to attack a person's politics by attacking that person by name, and there are getting to be way too many such personal attacks on this forum.

quote:

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York public health workers will no longer be required to be vaccinated against both the seasonal and H1N1 flu virus, state officials announced Thursday, prompted by a vaccine shortage.

<snip>

The Public Employees Federation, New York's second-largest state employees union, sued over the requirement and was awaiting a state Supreme Court hearing scheduled for October 30.

The vaccine shortage has defused the conflict.

The federal government had told states that, by the end of October, an estimated 120 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine would be readily available, according to Paterson and Daines. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have only about 27.7 million doses of the vaccine at month's end.

"The CDC acknowledged that New York would only receive approximately 23 percent of its anticipated vaccine supply," Paterson said. "As a result, we need to be as resourceful as we can with the limited supplies of vaccine currently coming into the state."

Those particularly at risk, and who are at the forefront of receiving both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 vaccines, are pregnant women and people 6 months to 24 years old, the news release said.


The CDC has revised its H1N1 vaccine goal. It had planned to have 200 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine by the end of November, but it now aims for 65.9 million doses nationwide.

<more>

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/23/new.york.flu.vaccine/index.html

quote:

Originally posted by Cider33_Alpha:
Thank you, NSNN - I was just screaming the same thing at my monitor.

Next there will be several threads and at least one official House/Senate "investigation" into why it has taken the Feds so long to protect our citizens.

quote:

Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC's director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters Friday that manufacturers are making unprecedented amounts of vaccine, but difficulties growing the vaccine, as well as time-consuming potency and purity testing, are contributing to the delay.

"We are not cutting any corners in the safety of the production of the vaccine or the testing and oversight of the vaccine" Schuchat explained.