SayUncle never gets a flu shot. The two times in my life I have received one, I came down with the flu. Otherwise, I never (well, mostly never) get the flu. You may have heard that there is a shortage of flu shots in the US. That is, unless you’re part of the political elite:

While many Americans search in vain for flu shots, members and employees of Congress are able to obtain them quickly and at no charge from the Capitol’s attending physician, who has urged all 535 lawmakers to get the vaccines even if they are young and healthy.

The physician’s office has dispensed nearly 2,000 flu shots this fall, and doses remained available yesterday. That is a steep drop from last year’s 9,000 shots, a spokesman for attending physician John F. Eisold said, because many congressional employees have voluntarily abided by federal guidelines that call for this season’s limited supply to go mainly to the elderly, the very young, pregnant women, long-term-care patients and people with chronic illnesses.

But people of all ages who are credentialed to work in the Capitol can get a shot by saying they meet the guidelines, with no further questions asked, said the spokesman, who cited office policy in demanding anonymity.

So, Mr. and Mrs. America, take one for the team. Oh, you mean us too?

Posted in uncategorized on October 20th, 2004 by SayUncle | RSS 2.0 |