Creeps who are queue-jumpers

Before I get into the outrageous conduct of the people who jumped ahead of the line for the treatment of H1N1 (Swine Flu) let me first explain what this flu is and the problem it has caused world-wide.

The 2009 flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus, often referred to as ‘swine flu’ in the media. Although the virus, first detected in April 2009, contains a combination of viruses from swine, birds and human influenza, it cannot be spread by eating pork products or being around pigs. Egypt slaughtered over a million pigs despite the fact that no one in Egypt had H1N1. Similar to other influenza viruses, pandemic H1N1 is typically contracted by person to person transmission through respiratory droplets.

The symptoms of H1N1 are similar to the symptoms of common seasonal flu. The common symptoms of H1N1 Flu include: Fever – particularly a fever that is over 100 degrees, sore throat, cough (typically a ‘dry cough’), chills and fatigue, body aches, headache, an occasionally, vomiting and diarrhea. In some instances, neurological problems have also been reported. The Centre for Disease Control in the United States estimates that, as of December 11, 2009, there are 10,567 confirmed deaths worldwide.

Pregnant women are not more likely to get pandemic H1N1, but if they do catch the virus, they may be more likely to have severe illness that may affect their pregnancy. While pregnant women are considered more likely to develop severe illness, the vast majority of pregnant women did not require medical or hospital care during the first wave of the pandemic in Manitoba.

Young adults, children and babies are most likely to get the H1N1 flu. Most cases are mild, but a small number of people, including healthy young adults, have needed intensive care in hospital for H1N1 flu and some have even died. One of the reasons for this is that their immune systems were not fully developed to fight of the virus.

And now, I will tell you about the creeps who jumped ahead of those in real need to get their shots of the vaccine for H1N1.

B.C.’s provincial health officer announced that the Vancouver Canucks hockey team jumped the queue when the players, coaching staff and the team’s support staff were given the H1N1 vaccine. They were outside the risk group unless any of them were under the age of 19. They should not have jumped the line because they didn’t meet the existing criteria. Eligibility in B.C. was expanded during that time to include only healthy individuals between the ages of five and 18 and those over the age of 65 with health conditions.

The Calgary Flames and the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat were roundly criticized late last month when they arranged for their players and their families to receive the vaccine ahead of those in the priority list. Vaccines had to be diverted from high-risk members of the general public in order to inoculate the hockey players and their families.

In Alberta, a second person of Alberta Health Services was fired for helping set up a private clinic for the Calgary Flames players and their families to get the H1N1 shot. Alberta Health Services launched an investigation later into how the professional hockey players got the shots while thousands of Albertans waited for their shots.

Sarnia, Ontario’s Sting hockey team’s doctor confirmed that half the team's hockey players had received the H1N1 vaccine even though most Sarnia residents were still waiting for their shots. The admission came after Jason Kaszycki, the team’s trainer lied when he said, "No one on the team has had the shot."

Three days earlier, public health officials had announced Ontario faced vaccine shortages and would restrict immunization clinics to higher-risk groups for another week or more.

Dr. Barwitzki claimed he didn't know about the shortage and believed the general public would have access to vaccine the next day. "It's an unfortunate incident," he said. "I didn't read my weekly updates or I most definitely would not go against an Ontario government policy. There's no point beating around the bush here," Barwitzki added. "I thought it was probably going to be in the schools so I was going to make it easier for (the Sting players) to get it."

Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews said she was outraged by reports professional hockey and basketball players in Toronto got the vaccine while children were being told to wait their turn.

"I don't care who you are, how rich you are, how famous you are," she said. "If you're not in the priority group, get out of the line and let the people who are in the priority groups get their vaccination." He priority groups are; pregnant women, children from six months to five years of age, People who live with children under six months old, people under 65 with underlying medical conditions, immune-compromised people and those caring for them, and people living in remote and isolated communities.

Board members of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, St. Michael's Hospital and the University Health Network — which represents Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto Western and Toronto General — were all offered vaccinations before it was available to many people in high-risk groups. A letter written November 2nd by Joseph Mapa, CEO of Mount Sinai, stated "We were also able to provide the vaccine to those who attended our meeting last Monday (October 26th ) and others presenting at our clinics in the main lobby, the earliest the H1N1 shots were available.”

Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, told reporters that hospital board members can't be classified as health-care workers.

On November 6, 2009, The Associated Press reported that, “Some of New York’s biggest companies, including Wall Street giants, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, received doses of swine flu vaccine for at-risk employees, drawing criticism that the hard-to-find vaccine is going first to the privileged.”

On November 7, 2009, The Montreal Gazette reported that, “As thousands of Montreal adults wait anxiously to get their H1N1 flu shots next month, the top 200 donors of the Jewish General Hospital have already been inoculated.”

Toronto police brass, including Toronto Chief Bill Blair, was given the flu shot ahead of time even though they were not on the province's priority list. Toronto Police Services spokesperson Mark Pugash explained it away by saying that it was part of the force's ‘business continuity’ plan to have ‘key decision makers’ vaccinated.

That’s what I call, crap. If that was so, then why didn’t the premiers of the provinces and the prime minister of Canada do the same thing and jump in front of those who are really at risk?

Blair and the rest of the force's command were given the shots on October 30th. Hours later, Toronto Public Health officials decided to stop inoculating police because they had learned there was a shortage of the vaccine. They should have known that ahead of time before they were so generous with the vaccine that was scarce at that time.

Anne Marie Aikins, spokeswoman for the health unit, squeaked, "It has always been part of our pandemic flu plan to include first responders during mass vaccination." More crap. The first responders are the police officers, not the big wigs on the force. In any case, they are all over 19 and under 65 so they really aren’t at risk.

This latest revelation seemed to add even more confusion to the vaccine rollout, which has been plagued with queue jumping by professional athletes, hospital board members and private schools.

The vaccine is still in production and until there is enough for the entire population, federal and provincial public health officials are rationing it to priority groups only. These groups include health-care workers and people at greater risk of suffering serious complications and even death from the virus. That includes people with underlying health problems, pregnant women and young children.

Later, front-line police officers, firefighters, correctional staff and people aged 65 and over who live in long-term institutions have been added to the priority list.

Scarce supplies had gone to the wrong groups. In the first few days, front-line health workers showed admirable patience and bravery by not pushing to get to the front of the line for their shots. They watched as sports teams, hospital board members and elite schools got preferential treatment.

This kind of behavior reminds me of the conduct of the owner of the White Star Line that owned the Titanic. While the ship was sinking and women and children were being placed in the life boats, this creep climbed into one of the boats and left the men on board the ship to die. As far as I am concerned, these queue-jumpers are the same kind of ilk that would jump over the women and children trying to climb into lifeboats on a sinking ship. A pox on the lot of them.