Somebody Goofed Big Time

The Vaccine


Three short weeks ago the CDC announced that 150 million doses of H1N1 vaccine were going to be shipped the next week and here we are 3 weeks later and only 25 million are "available", and we are still not quite sure where those are. How the person that announced the 150 million doses still has a job is beyond me. How can they be that wrong. I never had a good feeling about the federal government purchasing all of the H1N1 vaccine and being in charge of the distribution. Way to many pot holes in that road! The delays have been blamed on every step of the process from manufacturing to distribution. First of this week we were "promised" to have the badly needed injectable H1N1 by the end of this past week. We got a few more doses of the Nasal Mist H1N1 but still no injectable. Sense my mood? I can't explain how frustrating that is to not be able to protect our patients especially those that are most vulnerable with serious underlying medical conditions that make them that much more susceptible to complications from this flu. We continue to work daily to be able to provide it ASAP.


WE DID RECEIVE A SMALL ALLOTMENT OF SEASONAL VACCINE THIS PAST FRIDAY THAT WE ARE ADMINISTERING TO THOSE THAT ARE IN THE OFFICE FOR WELL VISITS AS LONG AS IT LASTS.


I do not anticipate a long term shortage of seasonal flu vaccine. The manufacturer says we will have our full order by the end of November which should still give us time to get everyone vaccinated before the arrival of seasonal flu that typically occurs in January. I feel a lot better about that promise then I do the same from the federal government.


WE DO STILL HAVE THE NASAL MIST H1N1 AVAILABLE FOR THOSE OVER TWO AND HEALTHY. SEE PREVIOUS BLOGS FOR THOSE THAT ARE INELIGIBLE FOR THAT FORM OF THE VACCINE. WE ARE ADMINISTERING THOSE TO CHILDREN IN FOR WELL VISITS AS WELL AS LONG AS THE SUPPLY LASTS.


Our next clinic is rapidly approaching on Sunday,Nov. 8. We are working diligently on obtaining enough vaccine that will make it worthwhile to hold that clinic. Last clinic, we were able to provide over 700 doses of flu vaccine for both seasonal and H1N1! That makes us all at the office very proud that we have that many patients that believe in vaccinating for influenza as much as we do. Thank you for protecting your children!!


IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON ATTENDING THE NOV.8TH CLINIC, PLEASE CHECK THIS SITE AFTER 8 AM SAT NOV.7TH TO SEE IF THE CLINIC WILL GO ON AS PLANNED AND WHAT VACCINES WILL BE AVAILABLE.


The Disease


The statistics continue to be discouraging. The rate of office visits nationwide for people with influenza like disease continues to climb. The rate has doubled over the last four weeks and we are now into our 9th week of a dramatic increase in disease prevalence. This is unprecedented. We also have 48 states reporting widespread disease. This too is unprecedented for even the worst of the seasonal flu outbreaks. Only South Carolina and Hawaii report regional disease prevalence. The southeast as a region had experienced two weeks of decline up until this last week of reporting that saw an upward climb once again. One thing with seasonal flu that you can just about always count on, once the decline starts, it continues. This is simply not the case with H1N1 and furthers the argument that we are in unchartered waters and solidifies the need for containment and prevention and of course, vaccination when available.