October 30, 2009
Update
Updated H1N1 posts/symptoms/vaccine
Gibbs spins on the H1N1 vaccine shortage…it’s the manufacturer’s fault.
The press corps is starting to ask real questions. Unfortunately, it just makes them look even more ineffectual because Gibbs still is not answering them and they don’t seem to mind.
Q On H1N1, is there anything that you guys, looking back, could have done differently to have sped up this vaccine?
MR. GIBBS: Well, let me say I think we have — the numbers that I got earlier today I think there are now 26.2, I believe, million doses that are now — have been now made available.
Q And there was supposed to be over a hundred million.
MR. GIBBS: Right. Well, we have — obviously had problems in the delivery of the vaccine from manufacturers. The 26.2 million, though, is 3 million more than we had just two days ago. Look, I think it’s accurate to say the President has been and is frustrated with ensuring that this vaccine is delivered on time, and won’t be satisfied until those that want to be vaccinated from HIN1 have the opportunity through the vaccine to do so.
They knew all that when they gave a total.
Q Anything the government could have done differently?
MR. GIBBS: Well, again, I think we have — the manufacturer — the manufacturing of the vaccine, which certainly takes about six to nine months, in this case is taking closer to six months. But it hasn’t been as fast as we were told, or as fast as we had hoped. But we’ll continue — I know that John Brennan and others meet daily on this topic to ensure that we have the vaccine that we need as quickly as possible.
France” Sanofi Pasteur seems to have had no problems with their vaccine production. They can get out $10 million does in a week and will be delivering all their vaccine on time – to Asia, North and South America.
Q Was it a mistake believing the private sector on this?
MR. GIBBS: Well, I think we certainly had hoped that their predictions on this would be correct.
barry declared an H1N1 while they had hoped.
Q With whom or what is the President frustrated with about the vaccine?
GIBBS: Well, I think the President is frustrated that all those who want to be vaccinated thus far haven’t had an opportunity to do so. We had hoped that the vaccine would, as we had been told, be here faster. It has not. But the President believes that, and the team believe, they’re making progress. I noted that there’s 3 million additional doses of the vaccine than there were just two days ago. And we’re working with state and local authorities to ensure that there are — all that can be done is being done to ensure the speedy delivery of that vaccine.
Q Is it a bureaucratic breakdown or a vaccine production breakdown?
MR. GIBBS: I think the — I think right now — again, we’d hoped that what the manufacturer had said in terms of getting the vaccine here earlier would have been true.
Of course. It’s the manufacturer’s fault. There’s supposed to be five separate manufacturers – he mentions one.
How can barry declare an emergency if there’s adequate doses of vaccine?
And why is it folks who don’t want it are being forced to take it and folks who want it can’t get it?
