Only 4,200 smallpox vaccinations so far, target was 1/2 million by today!!!!
Geewiz, these Administration people are so far off base in their numbers it makes me wonder just what the hell is going on in Washington.???
(obviously not much valid thought)
February 24, 2003
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When President Bush issued the call for 500,000 volunteer health care workers to be immunized against smallpox, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson promised to get the job done in 30 days.
At Monday's one-month mark, however, the number of people inoculated nationwide is 4,200, a fraction of the target for the first phase of bioterrorism preparations.
Although the federal government has shipped 274,000 doses of vaccine to states since the program began Jan. 24, hundreds of hospitals, a half-dozen major unions and even some public health departments have refused to participate. States that are vaccinating volunteers report they have drastically scaled back their original plans.
Aside from a few pockets of enthusiasm, most medical professionals remain unconvinced that the threat of a smallpox attack is serious enough to administer a vaccine known for serious side effects. |
