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Police Called When Crowd Of 600 Gets Unruly Waiting For Flu Shots
http://www.wkmg.com ^ | October 17, 2004 | The Associated Press

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: bettycastor; florida; flueshots; fluvaccine; police; stpetersburg; vaccines
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To: ArmyBratCutie
every year folks are offered a flu shot....most years NO ONE will take them, or very few.....this year they are PANICed gettting them.....what a bunch of idiots

Every time I've gotten a preseason flu shot I had to pay for it.

And every time I got a preseason flu shot, I either was sick with the flu within days or I got the bug strain that ended up going around anyway.

They seldom, if ever, guess right a year in advance what strain will be making people sick the next winter.

41 posted on 10/17/2004 10:35:34 AM PDT by woofer
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To: sheikdetailfeather

What's the big friggin' deal? Is this flu bug expected to be worse than normal? Most of the people that the flu does kill have arrived at that "time" anyways.

The only people that really need this shot are seasoned citizens, but many get it just for the hell of it.


42 posted on 10/17/2004 10:35:57 AM PDT by foobeca
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To: .38sw

Our newspaper has notices everyday showing cancellations of "mini" flu clinics which had been planned by independent physicians.

This was an interesting thread last night concerning the dangerous bacteria which contaminated the Chiron vaccine: Genus Serratia.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1247429/posts?page=44#44


43 posted on 10/17/2004 10:37:11 AM PDT by steve86
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To: sheikdetailfeather

This whole flu shot thing is absolutely bizarre. My grown daughters (not conservatives, yet)are hooting and making jokes about it.


44 posted on 10/17/2004 10:37:14 AM PDT by Bahbah (Proud member of the pajamahadeen)
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To: oceanview

There were long lines at an area Safeway in the middle of the week. One elderly lady got heat exhaustion and was wandering in search of shade when she fell and hit her head on the electrical meter, and died later. I was thinking at the time that she probably would have been better off, and still alive, if she'd taken her chances with getting the flu. There were also long lines at an area Costco, and two elderly people collapsed from heat exhaustion and had to be treated. It was hot here last week, upper 80's and lowe 90's, and elderly folks don't have the ability to regulate their body temperatures as well as younger people, so are susceptible to such things as heat exhaustion.

I've gotten a flu shot occasionally, but I must say that in the years I haven't gotten the shot, I've only gotten flu maybe once that I can remember. At any rate, I won't be getting a shot this year since I'm not in one of the risk categories.


45 posted on 10/17/2004 10:37:40 AM PDT by .38sw
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To: ArmyBratCutie

"you'll never turn me against him....I ADORE<LOVE< Him.....hes a STRONG, brave leader!!
Hey last time I was over there, I rode these kind of "boats?" that was like a spider floating on top of the water and zoomed across from the White Cliffs of Dover...know what I mean jellybean? it was so much fun!"

Oh well, if you feel like that, of course you can HAVE him...we'll even pay his (one way) air fare ;o)


46 posted on 10/17/2004 10:38:21 AM PDT by BritishBulldog (New Labour - Putting the "National" back into "Socialist")
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To: sheikdetailfeather

Sky is falling bump.


47 posted on 10/17/2004 10:39:58 AM PDT by NetSurfer (Proud member of the Pajama-Wearing Lunatic Fringe)
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To: sheikdetailfeather

One way to turn a crowd of Florida senior citizens into a lynch mob. Tell them there's shortage of flu shots.


48 posted on 10/17/2004 10:39:58 AM PDT by dennisw (Gd - against Amelek for all generations.)
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To: BritishBulldog

ok now tell me the name of those doughnut shaped boats or water spiders I rode on....I cant remember to save me.....
as for Tony, he is MORE than welcome to come to America...we love him here....well, most of us, the ones with brains :))


49 posted on 10/17/2004 10:41:06 AM PDT by ArmyBratCutie ("Four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:soap, ballot, jury, ammo in this order!")
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To: oceanview

Yes. You are absolutely right. The Dems are making this a HUGE issue and Kerry is saying in his campaign rallies that President Bush will not let our seniors get cheaper meds in Canada but he is looking to Canada for help with flu vaccines. (Of course, it is probably too late to ensure their vaccines are safe in time for flu season, but it is an option we are considering if we can ensure safety in time).


50 posted on 10/17/2004 10:41:34 AM PDT by sheikdetailfeather
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To: sheikdetailfeather

It's the media who's inciting the panic.


51 posted on 10/17/2004 10:43:58 AM PDT by primeval patriot (I'll stay in cowtown, I'll stick around)
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To: sheikdetailfeather
What is it with these flu shots? I have never had a flu shot. I get maybe one cold a year. I can't remember the last time I had a full-blown flu.

Why has it become so necessary for healthy American adults to get one? Go without and if you catch a cold/flu, deal with it!!!

I can understand for the elderly, but for the rest of us?

Does anyone know whether one of the larger group of recipients are HIV positive people? Or do they not get flu vaccines at all?
52 posted on 10/17/2004 10:44:52 AM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (I'm fresh out of tags. I'll pick some up tomorrow.)
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To: ArmyBratCutie

I washing my hands of this whole mess !.........:o)


53 posted on 10/17/2004 10:47:44 AM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: nhoward14

Strange Days. A mighty fortress (lower case) is the FreeRepublic...


54 posted on 10/17/2004 10:48:42 AM PDT by Calusa (One Nation Gone Under.)
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To: HungarianGypsy

I've wondered that, too. We should try to get photos of the people so desperately waiting for flu shots. I'm sure there will be a lot of the same crowd weeping after Nov. 2 that they just couldn't figure out the ballots, or that some Republican at the poll intimidated them not to vote.

It's a COLD for crying out loud!! Get over it.
You'd think it was the middle of the desert after 30 days and they were rationing out a ladle full of water.


55 posted on 10/17/2004 10:48:48 AM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (I'm fresh out of tags. I'll pick some up tomorrow.)
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To: Squantos

hehehe


56 posted on 10/17/2004 10:50:41 AM PDT by ArmyBratCutie ("Four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:soap, ballot, jury, ammo in this order!")
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To: ArmyBratCutie

"ok now tell me the name of those doughnut shaped boats or water spiders I rode on....I cant remember to save me.....
as for Tony, he is MORE than welcome to come to America...we love him here....well, most of us, the ones with brains :))"

Can't help you with the boats or the spiders.

The thing with Tony B. Liar is that he has a long history of saying and doing only that which he thinks will get himself re-elected (he also has a reputation for reneging on deals even with colleagues in his own government). I believe that the ONLY reason he backed Bush & the US on Iraq was that he felt it would strengthen his position at home (recall that Thatcher was on the way out before The Falklands conflict but her popularity soared after the victory).

While personally I am glad that we backed the US on Iraq as I believe that it was just and necessary, I don;t for one minute believe that Phoney Tony had any other interests in mind but his own when he made the decision.

Please remember that most Americans know Blair only form his stance on the war and haven't had to put up with 7 years of his leftist social policies and oily public declarations.

Also please know that Blair is very much PRO Europe and if it were not for the efforts of Gordon Brown (miserable Scots pinko that he is) we would inevitably be further ensconced in the quagmire that is the EU and would probably have already sacrificed our currency for the hated Euro.


57 posted on 10/17/2004 10:51:28 AM PDT by BritishBulldog (New Labour - Putting the "National" back into "Socialist")
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To: Calusa

*** I'm only 52 and rather lean and mean if I must say so, but my aortic valve was replaced with a carbon composite in '90. I take flu shots every year. ***

My Mitral valve was replaced same year. I'm 57 and have never taken a flu shot. I have not had flu in years but the common cold tears me up!
Years ago a physician said not to worry about flu as most people die as a result of complications from PNEUMONIA after having the flu. We still have plenty of pennicillin for that.


58 posted on 10/17/2004 10:54:35 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (DEMS STILL LIE like dirty dam flea biten stinkin tick infested s*** eatin yellow dogs.)
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To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
I'm sure there will be a lot of the same crowd weeping after Nov. 2 that they just couldn't figure out the ballots, or that some Republican at the poll intimidated them not to vote.

*L* I've wondered if these poor intimidated voters were actually people who didn't realize you are supposed to register to vote and were surprised they were turned away.
59 posted on 10/17/2004 10:55:06 AM PDT by HungarianGypsy (John Kerry for President of FRANCE)
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To: BearWash
I want to know what happened to the other half of the vaccine? Since my 13 year old son is in a very high risk group we were able to get him one, thank God, but it wasn't easy. Because he is so immuno-suppressed my wife, daughter and I normally get the shots to lessen the chance of even bringing the flu in the house (plus, I have asthma). This year we can't get them.

I literally know dozens of people that normally get the shots, but everyone of them I have talked to can't even find a place that has vaccine available. The local clinics don't have it, the hospitals we have called said they didn't, and my son's specialists don't have, nor had any vaccine. Several elderly folks are telling me they have the same results when they have searched for it. If they find a doctor that had/has the vaccine they tell you that they got far less than half of what they ordered. Many people have told me they aren't pursuing it this year, so where is the other half of the vaccine.

This shortage is a disgrace. Two sources for vaccine for the US and one is off shore? I think it is time to send Tommy Thompson out to get a job he can handle.
60 posted on 10/17/2004 11:00:11 AM PDT by chickenlips
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