Obama Administration Escapes Blame for H1N1 Flu Vaccine Shortage and Delay

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By Brent Baker (Bio | Archive)
October 26, 2009 - 19:31 ET
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Hard to imagine that if George W. Bush were still in office journalists would hesitate a moment to invoke his name in identifying a culprit for the current shortage and delay in delivery, well beyond the schedule promised by HHS's Centers for Disease Control, of the vaccine for the H1N1 “swine flu” virus. Remember Katrina? Coverage Monday night matches what I've seen over the past several days with no mention of Obama or his administration, beyond reporting his issuance of a “national emergency” decree, as journalists instead cited “federal officials” and “the government.”

On the CBS Evening News, fill-in anchor Harry Smith reported: “Now to the H1N1 flu. Federal health officials admitted today their projected timetable for producing the vaccine was way off. They originally said there would be about 40 million doses by the end of the month. But as of today, there's less than half that number.” Subsituting on the NBC Nightly News, Ann Curry blandly announced: “President Obama declared the swine flu pandemic a national emergency over the weekend, but still the amount of vaccine to protect against it is running way behind what the government had promised.”

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Over on ABC, Charles Gibson, the only regular anchor working Monday night, avoided placing any blame:

Our “Closer Look” tonight involves the confusion surrounding the swine flu vaccine. The government originally predicted 40 million doses of vaccine would be available by the end of October, now says there will only about 28 million. And people who want the vaccine are finding tremendous difficulty getting any information about when and where it will be available...

Reporter John McKenzie named a government agency and not the Obama administration: “Even members of Congress, hearing from so many frustrated Americans today called on the Centers for Disease Control, to do a better job communicating where and when people can find this elusive vaccine.”

All accurate, but in the Bush years the media loved to hold Bush accountable for every federal agency decision. (Back in October of 2004, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry beat the media to it in blaming Bush for a shortage in the midst of fears over the “bird flu.”)

—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center


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Over on ABC, Charles

October 26, 2009 - 19:37 ET by BKeyser

Over on ABC, Charles Gibson, the only regular anchor working Monday night, avoided placing any blame:

Our “Closer Look” tonight involves [something called the .... Swine.... Flu. Apparently this is a bad? thing. I hadn't heard about it until now. Hee hee.]

 Okay, I'll say it since apperently no one in the media has the courage to: The Swine Flu is Geaorge Bush's fault! And so is the lack of vaccine! 

There.

BK... Give 'em

October 26, 2009 - 19:40 ET by bigtimer

BK...

Give 'em time....give 'em time.

They'll find a way to blame him.

'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart

bt

October 26, 2009 - 19:51 ET by FeynmanFan

I heard somewhere that Obama blames Bush everytime he misses a shot during basketball games with the boys.  ;)

 

"Reason and persuasion are the only practical instruments against error.  To make way for these, free inquiry must be indulged" - Thomas Jefferson

It's Bush's Fault

October 26, 2009 - 20:01 ET by allanf

Raining today -- "Bush's Fault".

Too hot --  "Bush's Fault"

Too cold -- "Bush's Fault"

No H1N1 Vaccine -- "Bush's Fault"

FF... I wouldn't doubt

October 26, 2009 - 20:02 ET by bigtimer

FF...

I wouldn't doubt it... you got me laughing here....I can imagine it.

'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart

FF~~ Photo of Barry playing ball

October 26, 2009 - 20:19 ET by BKeyser

Speaking of Barry's basketball skills, take a look at this official WH photo on the official WH flickr page: Basketball game.

Can someone say, "Slacker-In-Chief"?

bt...No doubt...

October 26, 2009 - 20:17 ET by PrairieSky

It is just a matter of time.

I was on another site a couple of weeks ago debating some mental midget who was trying to blame Bush for Obama's not being able to secure the 2016 Olympics for Chicago...There are just some idiots out there who will try to blame Bush for anything and everything...Bush will have been out of office for 20 years, and someone will blame him because it rained on somebody's wash day in Peru... 

"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan

Easy one

October 26, 2009 - 20:38 ET by Dan Diego

Dick Cheney diverted CDC funding for his hurricane machine in the WH basement.

The government made a

October 26, 2009 - 20:02 ET by GregE

The government made a prediction that was crap?  Say it aint so.  Well they can keep the one that would be for me, I'm not taking that crap.

But don't worry, its all under control....

http://www.politico....

And these are the people who

October 26, 2009 - 20:14 ET by Radical1979

And these are the people who want to run ALL of health care?  BTW my daughter has H1N1 and can't get Tamiflu because she isn't high risk.  This summer a friend of hers had H1N1 and received Tamiflu.  Why isn't the media all over Obama for the shortage of Tamiflu?

CNN grills Bush admin over vaccine - 2001

October 26, 2009 - 20:32 ET by Gary Hall

Just to make the point. Back in  the late 1990's the fear of a smallpox terror attack was already a biggie in the Clinton WH. Following the attacks of 9/11, the concern seemed more palatable. The Bush administration was pushing to produce a national stockpile of 300 million doses. We had 75 million on hand.

Here's CNN Anchor, Catherine Callaway, looking for ammunition from a former  commissioner with the Food and Drug Administration.

Her questions only:

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration moved ahead with plans this week to make sure that it has enough smallpox vaccine on hand, and it wants to protect everyone in the country from the virus, a potential weapon for terrorists.

And Dr. Michael Friedman is a former commissioner with the Food and Drug Administration, and he's joining us from Washington. And thanks for being with us today, but first we should say that that move was the administration signing a $428 million contract to see that enough vaccine are produced, another 155 million vaccines to be produced so that everyone in the U.S. population will be covered. But I have to ask you, Dr. Friedman, you know, should the U.S. be confident that the vaccine is forthcoming?

CALLAWAY: But that could be, they say, late next year. That's a bit unsettling.

CALLAWAY: Yeah, but it does seem that they are obviously having to put rush on this order, if you will, and it leads me to wonder, you know, how safe is that vaccine going to be?

CALLAWAY: You know, but even the vaccine, as you just mentioned, no guarantee that there wouldn't be some type of crisis should smallpox be exposed to the U.S. population. This is a virus that spreads incredibly fast; you could just be in the same room and get it.

CALLAWAY: Dr. Friedman, we're talking about a lot of money here. It appears somebody is getting rich on this. Do you think the government is getting a fair deal?

As Brent Baker notes:

Hard to imagine that if George W. Bush were still in office journalists would hesitate a moment to invoke his name in identifying a culprit for the current shortage and delay in delivery..

(;~/ gary

Apparently....

October 26, 2009 - 20:52 ET by Blonde

Sauce (vaccine) from the goose is not the same as from the gander.

I'm feeling fluish today, too.  Arghhh.  But I shall do what I always do, rest alot, stay warm, and recover in two days.

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

I get bluish when I am

October 26, 2009 - 21:03 ET by celator

I get bluish when I am fluish. Foolish but truist.
Get well.

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

IRC the vacines are not

October 27, 2009 - 01:21 ET by Dan The Man 2

IRC the vacines are not produced locally by USA companies so the country is at the mercy of other countries.

I found this information

October 26, 2009 - 20:58 ET by celator

I found this information from the insert about the H1N1 vaccine interesting. The vaccine is NOT approved for adults 50 years old and above. Why hasn't this information been in the media? Maybe I'm reading this wrong. Here's the information from the insert.

8.5 Geriatric Use
Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine Live, Intranasal is not approved for use in individuals ≥65 years of age. Subjects with underlying high-risk medical conditions (n=200) were studied for safety. Compared to controls, FluMist recipients had a higher rate of sore throat.

8.6 Use in Individuals 50-64 Years of Age
Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine Live, Intranasal is not approved for use in individuals 50-64 years of age. In Study AV009, effectiveness of FluMist was not demonstrated in individuals 50-64 years of age (n=641). Solicited adverse events were similar in type and frequency to those reported in younger adults.

Here's the insert.

http://www.fda.gov/d...

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

There are two major types

October 26, 2009 - 22:31 ET by stratman

There are two major types of 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine in production/available:

  1. Live Attenuated Intranasal Vaccine (LAIV) - this is the nasal spray you referred to.  It is currently labeled for ages 2-49.  There are specific co-existing conditions which are contraindications for (reasons not to get) LAIV, some based on age (eg wheezing/asthma at 6 mos - 5 years age) while others are any age (eg pregnancy).
  2. Inactivated Influenza Vaccine - this is an injection/shot.  It is currently labeled, depending which manufacturer/formulation, for ages 6 months on up with a current arbitrary cut-off at 64 years of age.  When target populations are adequately vaccinated then the Inactivated Vaccine will most likely be the choice for those 65 years and older.

 

  • ALL 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine contain residual EGG PROTEIN. 

 

More complete explanation can be found in a number of links here and more specifically here.

Strat, thanks for the

October 26, 2009 - 23:45 ET by celator

Strat, thanks for the explanation. I appreciate it. There is so much confusing buzz about the vaccine, it's difficult to get a clear, understandable explanation. I'll check the links, as well.

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

Celator: You're

October 27, 2009 - 03:52 ET by stratman

Celator:

You're welcome.  I agree, there is a lot of talk about the vaccines, some confusing, some downright myth.

The CDC website on H1N1 is the best source at this time IMO.  The WHO is good but they slant their recommendations based on social concerns for the world's population, most of which cannot afford prophylaxis or even antivirals.

For instance, I read that WHO does not recommend prophylaxis for known exposures even if you are a targeted individual.  The WHO has a "wait and see" before treating, while we in the USA will offer/prescribe antivirals (eg Tamiflu) to known exposures within 48 of exposure, even if there are no symptoms yet. 

Flu Shot

October 26, 2009 - 21:02 ET by Gothampc

 I remember a few years ago when there was a perceived shortage and the media blamed Bush endlessly. Bush announced that he would not take the flu shot so that someone else could have it. Then the media started pounding on Dick Cheney because he had taken it. I think it turned out that enough shots were available, but the media didn't report that because it would interfere with their image of Bush eating Christian babies for lunch.

Obama golfed...

October 26, 2009 - 22:56 ET by Barker

People coughed.

After seeing how they've handled the flu vaccine ...

October 27, 2009 - 00:30 ET by wnaegele

...I can't wait till they get their hands on all of health care.

Product Liability Law is the Real Villain

October 27, 2009 - 05:44 ET by richb313

Product Liability Law is the Real Villain. No vaccines are produced in the United States because of todays product liability law. Product Liability law is the BIGGEST reason for the high cost of Health Care. There are several other reasons but the BIGGEST single factor is the high cost of everything used in medicine.

It is normal for a liberal press to give a pass to like minded politicians, no surprise there. All of the press has fallen down on reporting runaway product liability. Our own culture which is too quick to Draw Lawyer Daggert like a gun at every percieved wrong is at the core of so many problems. It will take a lot more than reforming tort law and product liability to solve these issues.

We Americans have got to stop running to a lawyer for a big payday. If real harm and damge was done then litigation is an option but the over use of the system has led to the current overpopulation of lawyers and they are a creative bunch. These lawyers can come up with a host of reasons to sue almost anybody for anything and they laugh all the way to the bank.

Re liability

October 27, 2009 - 11:15 ET by slickwillie2001

Very true, and with vaccines there is a known quantifiable risk factor. A vaccine will make a tiny number of those vaccinated sick.

It's not just vaccine 'manufacturers' though, it's all manufacturing. Outrageous liability lawsuits are just one more reason that jobs leave our country.

→ Wouldn't it be great?

October 27, 2009 - 07:56 ET by Cool Arrow

Wouldn't it be great if Swine Flu got really bad and people were dying for lack of vaccine, and the President said he inherited this health problem, and he said it proved we need more money up front to ensure it never happened again?

OK, we know nothing like that would ever happen, but wouldn't it be great? /s 

LYDSEXICS UNTIE!

              

October 27, 2009 - 08:31 ET by jessieH

                If obama would do the job he was elected to do, instead of staying on tv for hours on end, blaming Bush for his own indecision, he might get something done. He's done nothing for our troops. He's done nothing for the people. He's done nothing for our country.