There it is in bold headlines for all the world to read: Santa Demands Priority for H1N1 Vaccine.
And on the surface, that sounds like a really good idea. After all, poor Santa is out there amongst the masses, exposing himself to untold dangers even beyond H1N1. The simple thought that Santa might be a little long in the tooth, perhaps suffering from a few aches and pains himself, maybe diabetic or suffering from heart disease and it is easy to agree that Santa really does need a safeguard from this year’s terrible flu.
Lots of “leading” Santas have been all over the media in recent weeks, advising their brothers in red to take certain precautions, asking parents to keep ill wee-ones home and petitioning Congress to grant an exception to distribution guidelines marking them on the priority level with healthcare workers and school teachers. They have been on national and local news programs, interviewed for radio, television and print.
But hold on a second….let’s think for just a minute here what we’re asking for.
Flu vaccine shortages exist in all 50 states. So far, very few adults — inclusive of health care workers and teachers, by the way — have been able to get the vaccine. So far only the very ill, the very young and those sick enough to meet certain guidelines can get their hands on vaccine. Some states are still receiving less than 5000 doses of vaccine a week — a mere trickle when placed against a demanding population.
And Santa STILL wants to be placed at the head of the line?
“The dude can get in line with the rest of us,” noted 28 year-old Rebekkah Speers, of Salt Lake City, Utah, who was interviewed outside a clinic while waiting in a line for three hours for just a shot at the shot for her 4 year old child. “My son has asthma and I’ve been trying for more than a month. He’s going to get this thing and he’ll probably get it standing in this line. I think it is selfish and wrong for a working man to expect to be put at the front of the line when we still have kids in need out there who can’t get it. What’s wrong with Santa?”