[toeslist] WSJ: Uproar as Firms Get Swine-Flu Vaccine
Riaz K Tayob
developing countries? ]
* NOVEMBER 6, 2009
Uproar as Firms Get Swine-Flu Vaccine
By BETSY MCKAY
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged
health officials around the country Thursday to ensure swine-flu
vaccine is getting to high-risk groups, after criticism erupted over
distribution to some Wall Street firms.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc. are among
several large New York City employers that got doses of the H1N1
vaccine, which remains in short supply as the new flu virus continues
to spread and manufacturers struggle to produce ample stocks of
vaccine quickly.
The businesses registered with the city's Department of Health to
offer the vaccine through employee health clinics, and a department
spokeswoman said they were sent doses as part of a plan to reach more
high-risk adults.
"When vaccine first became available, we directed all available doses
to pediatricians, ob/gyns, community health centers and private and
public hospitals," said the spokeswoman, Jessica Scaperotti. "Then, as
vaccine became more available, we expanded it to adult providers." She
called large employee health clinics an important outlet for reaching
at-risk adults.
The firms had to sign an agreement to administer vaccines only to the
highest-priority groups identified by the CDC, including pregnant
women and adults between the ages of 25 and 64 who have medical
conditions that put them at risk of complications from the flu, she
said.
But criticism of the move showed how much tension has emerged as
thousands of children and others considered at risk of complications
have waited hours in lines to be inoculated.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) demanded an explanation from government
officials. "I am concerned that the distribution of the vaccine is
resulting in favored treatment for the privileged," he said.
The vaccine, which is paid for by the government, is being distributed
to state and major city health departments, which then decide where to
send the doses. Doses are sent to providers and clinics that applied.
New York City has received more than 800,000 doses.
In a letter, CDC Director Thomas Frieden asked state and local
officials to review their vaccine-distribution plans. "Any vaccine-
distribution decisions that appear to direct vaccine to people outside
the identified priority groups have the potential to undermine the
credibility of the program," he wrote.
The CDC said 35.6 million doses of vaccine were available as of
Thursday. The agency recommends which groups should get the vaccine
first, and jurisdictions must agree to follow those recommendations,
but the CDC doesn't sign off on which providers get the vaccine, a
spokesman said.
Goldman Sachs has received 200 of 5,400 doses it ordered. A
spokeswoman said the firm "will supply it only to employees who
qualify based on the requirements laid down by the CDC and Department
of Health."
Citigroup spokesman Alex Samuelson said the firm received limited
supplies of vaccine and they were being provided "only to employees in
high-risk categories as defined by the CDC."
A Morgan Stanley spokeswoman confirmed that the firm received 1,000
doses it ordered. But it has decided to send them to several hospitals
in or near New York City after hearing that many hospitals don't have
the vaccine yet.
David Enrich, Susanne Craig and Aaron Lucchetti contributed to this
article.
Write to Betsy McKay at betsy...@wsj.com
------------------------------------------------------------
Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
th...@keionline.org
Tel: +41 22 791 6727
Mobile: +41 76 508 0997
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