A power play?I wrote a post Thursday about Wall Street employees getting the jump on swine flu shots. Wouldn't it interesting, I mused, if professional athletes were also getting preferential treatment ahead of kids and at-risk pregnant moms?
Guess what, here's more proof that the swine flu vaccination priority list is out of whack.
In Canada, professional hockey and basketball players are at the front of the line.
Bloomberg News reported that teams including the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs vaccinated some of their players last week, even as health officials try to limit the shots to high- risk patients such as pregnant women and young children.
“We do love our hockey, but the guidelines are based on those who are at greatest risk,” Dr. David Butler-Jones, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, said Thursday. “Those at lower risk really should wait. Hockey players are at no greater risk than anyone else.”
The preferential treatment given to the athletes has sparked outrage even in a country where hockey is the most popular sport. Canada faces a shortage of flu vaccines, and in Alberta, where the Flames are based, lineups and a dwindling supply of vaccines forced the government to shut all clinics from Oct. 31 until yesterday.
Wouldn't it be something if a professional athlete spoke up and said, "wait a minute. I'm giving my vaccine to a mom or her four-year-old who has Type 1 diabetes."
Thoughts?
Most hockey players have small children that fall in the age range of 6 months to 4 years...