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Sunday, November 24, 2002Bush will most likely put off deciding the most sensitive question of whether the vaccine will be made available to all Americans, the officials said. Bush aides have concluded there is no reason to make such a commitment yet, preferring to use the time while more vaccines are licensed to gauge how to predict and control side effects as the inoculation is given to troops, health care workers and emergency responders. ...In a gesture to those who favor broader distribution, administration officials are discussing a mechanism to make the vaccine available in limited quantity to those who actively seek it. "There is some discussion of making it available to people who feel they absolutely have to have it," a senior Bush aide said. "The question is, can the government just hold on to a stockpile?" The likeliest mechanism in such cases would be expanded participation in experimental programs. It would seem that the Administration is moving towards a plan to proceed with caution, and it makes sense to allow people to have the vaccine if they really want it, rather than to deny them that opportunity. Especially when you consider this: The Israeli government this week reported that it had administered the vaccine to 12,000 people with only four known cases of relatively mild side effects. Further, an intelligence review concluded that Iraq and North Korea have the pathogen and that al Qaeda has been pursuing it. posted by Sydney on 11/24/2002 08:45:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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