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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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.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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Cough on every old, sickly looking democrat you see. It will freak them out. And, if you HAVE the flu, go cough on them, it might keep them from voting.


61 posted on 10/17/2004 11:00:44 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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And, if anyone REALLY wants a flu shot, drive across the border and get one in Canada. They have a huge surplus and as long as the doctor buys extra for any America customer, it's perfectly ok to do so.


62 posted on 10/17/2004 11:05:19 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: chickenlips

suppose both factories had been in the US - and one of them contaminated their supply? we would be in the same position we are in now. what do you want - capacity to make 5 times the amount actually needed, just in case something goes wrong? who pays for that?

your son actually needs this - many of the seniors who get it, probably don't. and almost all of the healthy middle aged people getting it, definitely don't need it.


63 posted on 10/17/2004 11:05:40 AM PDT by oceanview
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Yeah, I'm gonna go with multivitamins and echinaceae this year. I also generally keep away from the rest of the herd, but I work at a school. My greatest risk is that dash from the hot tub to the house on a cool evening.


64 posted on 10/17/2004 11:06:39 AM PDT by Calusa (One Nation Gone Under.)
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To: mylife
Here in Texas the local news is reporting that death row inmates are being given flu shots along with the all the other prison population because they are "high risk" since they live in such close confinement with each other!
65 posted on 10/17/2004 11:06:44 AM PDT by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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Some enterprizing person should gather a couple Canadian nurses together, buy a truckload of canadian vaccines, and set up a flu shot clinic just on the Canadian side of the border. They could make millions.


66 posted on 10/17/2004 11:11:02 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: sheikdetailfeather
Betty Castor comforts the victims in long line and blames our government. It is a consequence of the Clinton's administrations policy to make the flu shots affordable. Price is cheap, product is not available. La La land thinking!
67 posted on 10/17/2004 11:16:40 AM PDT by GregoryFul (Liberals are pathological liars. They admire liars, they regale in lies, they spread lies.)
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To: oceanview
the Dems are smelling a big political issue here - and they are running with it. the WH political operation better get plugged into this - fast.

They are trying to make this the "gas lines" of 2004 because fuel prices never reached $2.50-3.00/gal as they were projecting.


68 posted on 10/17/2004 11:17:40 AM PDT by jriemer (We are a Republic not a Democracy)
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To: FreedomCalls

Un freekin believable


69 posted on 10/17/2004 11:23:18 AM PDT by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: sheikdetailfeather; All
Flu Vaccine Crisis- Government Cure, or Government Problem?  P.J. O'Rourke said it best:
If you think medical care is expensive now, just wait 'till it's "free..."

70 posted on 10/17/2004 11:45:17 AM PDT by backhoe (Just a Keyboard Cowboy, ridin' the Trackball into the Dawn of Information...)
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To: Nathan Zachary
And, if anyone REALLY wants a flu shot, drive across the border and get one in Canada.

You can try, but there are plenty of people ahead of you. Also, the Canadian provincial governments are starting to have second thoughts about freely dispensing vaccine to American visitors.

71 posted on 10/17/2004 11:49:03 AM PDT by steve86
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To: sheikdetailfeather
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.

Im sorry, is this a NEWS ARTICLE or a KERRY CAMPAIGN AD?

72 posted on 10/17/2004 11:50:47 AM PDT by stuck_in_new_orleans
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To: sheikdetailfeather

The best way to get the Flu is to spend the day in a crowd of 600 people.


73 posted on 10/17/2004 11:53:11 AM PDT by spodefly (I've posted nothing but BTTT over 1000 times!!!)
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To: chickenlips
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

Since your son is immuno-suppressed that rules out the rest of you getting FluMist, unfortunately. I'm glad you found a shot for him.

74 posted on 10/17/2004 11:54:13 AM PDT by steve86
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To: sheikdetailfeather
The lines are quite long down here in Florida. My 78-year old mother went to the grocery store on Friday to get her shot. The clinic was scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. She figured she'd get there around 2 p.m. with a lawn chair and a good book. Well, turns out folks had started lining up at 6 a.m.! The management gave out numbers, all before dawn, so my Mom just turned around and went home.
75 posted on 10/17/2004 12:08:45 PM PDT by dukeman
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To: Gator Bill

Kids are not on the specified list of who gets shots. Only those 6 months to 23 months. At least, that is what our pharmacist told a lady in line with me to pick up a prescription.


76 posted on 10/17/2004 12:08:55 PM PDT by MamaB (mom to an angel)
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To: .38sw
Why are there long lines in the first place? Are these "clinics" at supermarkets and drugstores the only places to get shots? Can't a person who is in the "at risk" category get one from their doctor without standing in line for hours at the local Safeway or Costco? I won't be getting one since I don't fit into these categories, but I'm genuinely curious about this. I would guess that part of the reason for the long lines is panic and fear at not being able to get a shot, but can't a person get one from their doctor?

No. The large NW Florida clinic where my Doctor practices is not being issued vaccine. Nationally we will see tens of thousands of people die because of the shortage.

77 posted on 10/17/2004 12:13:52 PM PDT by LPM1888 (What are the facts? Again and again and again -- what are the facts? - Lazarus Long)
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To: sheikdetailfeather
Maybe I'm naive but what the heck is a "flu shot" and why are people so desperate to get them? Especially in Florida!

I'm a lifelong resident of New England and deal with subzero temperatures every winter. Never once in my 42 years of living have I gotten a "flu shot." And in the few times that I do get the flu - about once every five years - I just drink a little extra water, sleep a little more and shake it off.

78 posted on 10/17/2004 12:16:25 PM PDT by SamAdams76 (The NHL is not playing - does anybody notice?)
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To: stuck_in_new_orleans

this whole issue is a media driven frenzy now, and it may well have some political effects because the administration isn't out there saying anything to try and calm people down.


79 posted on 10/17/2004 12:19:29 PM PDT by oceanview
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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

I agree, the list should be limited to those who took one last year and those in chronic need. Half the reason for the gas lines of the 70's were people tried to keep full tanks all the time whereas under normal conditions the average tank is less than half full.

80 posted on 10/17/2004 12:20:32 PM PDT by HoustonCurmudgeon ( I’d RAthER not!)
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