Flu: Not for All

Having pointed out only a few days ago how well the All Point Bulletin informs and reflects the Point Roberts community, I return from the Sunshine Coast today to find the November issue of the paper with the following headline:  ‘County Hogs First Supplies of Vaccine’.

So, what does that say about us?  Well, first of all, that we are very plain-spoken and perhaps even outspoken.  Second, that we are a little on the cranky side.  Third, that we may be a little confused in our irritation.   Exactly who is the ‘County’ that is hogging the flu vaccine?  I mean, aren’t we part of the county, of Whatcom County?  I can imagine the county might be refusing to let people from other counties come to their vaccine clinics, which would, of course, allow Skagit County residents to complain that Whatcom County is hogging all their vaccine for their own residents.  But the paper, if it speaks for us, seems to be complaining that those of us in Point Roberts aren’t getting our fair share of the Whatcom County vaccine supply. 

Join the nation! You can’t turn on any public radio station or otherwise talky radio without hearing people complaining about and/or explaining the insufficient availability of H1N1 vaccine.  We are ALL being deprived, apparently.  Says our local health clinic head, ‘When we get it, you’ll get it.’  Which is what health clinics are saying everywhere.  But somehow, I guess, anybody who wants to have the vaccine today and who isn’t getting it is entitled to be outraged about their fair share of health resources, even if they aren’t people who are considered priority for the service in question.

As near as I can tell from reading the article, in Point Roberts, there is some concern that seniors are being denied access to the vaccine.  Like a death panel deal, I guess.  But seniors, unless they have other very serious conditions, aren’t the clientele for this vaccine.  Perhaps all the years of trying to make all seniors take the regular flu shots has simply convinced people that flu and seniors are inextricably connected.  I rejoice that I am not expected to have one of these shots.  Point Roberts’ larger senior community could well be rejoicing with me rather than feeling victims of ‘The County.’

So, there we are: plainspoken, outspoken, cranky, and confused.  My Point Roberts.