Posted on 10/17/2004 10:13:00 AM PDT by sheikdetailfeather
Police Called When Crowd Of 600 Gets Unruly Waiting For Flu Shots
POSTED: 8:38 am EDT October 17, 2004 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Police were called when a crowd of 600 people got unruly after gathering at a St. Petersburg supermarket for hoped-for flu shots. Less than 300 doses were on hand.
Store managers called police after people started screaming and hollering for tickets for the shots. Two officers and a sergeant helped restore calm.
Some people spent the night in sleeping bags to be near the front of the line. Elderly men and women waited in wheelchairs and leaned on walkers. Some brought lawn chairs and umbrellas.
The nation's suddenly limited supply of flu vaccine is going fast. The rush for shots has become political fodder.
Democratic Senate candidate Betty Castor talked with people waiting for shots at a Tampa supermarket. She said government is not doing its job.
A new ad from John Kerry's campaign blames President George W. Bush for ignoring warnings about shortages three years ago.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
thats right HC!!
Tell people they can't have something, and they immediately want it.
Give 'em a shot of sugar water, the plecebo effect will cure about 10%.
"If you have a green card take a number ;^)"
When did they start giving green cards to illegals? That's a disaster! It completely illegitimizes my husband's green card.
Anything they can say or do to give the media a chance to show something negative and imply Bush is responsible.
This issue is great for highlighting the shifting sands of politics.
In round two of the debates Kerry was hammering Bush for not taking in foreign drugs and Bush was claiming he would do it as soon as he found a way to make it safe. In the third debate Kerry was hammering Bush for relying on unsafe foreign drugs and bush was looking to fill the void with canadian foreign vaccines.
Really this issue has been the most fun to watch.
Now the real crisis is the shortage of innoculations against Democratic talking points. IF we could bottle something that would render those impotent we'd have done something.
I couldn't agree more. This is nuts. Why would anyone want one of these shots? They can have mine. They'd have to hold me down to give me one.
I'm glad Mr. Blair is with the US on this but I take note of your comments in light of how Blair was also close to Clinton.
I have been to the British Isles and various other locations where British Coast Guard or Navy personnal and civilians were stationed. I have always been welcomed and treated very well. Thanks.
I stand corrected. Of course green cards place you here Legally
Water the vaccine down as Harry Lime did in THE THIRD MAN.
I'm healthy and middle aged but the flu often costs me several days of work. The cost to the economy because of this foul-up will be in the billions of dollars.
Actually, the Chinese rodent 2A strain is suppose to be brutal this year.
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