More Corporations Get the H1N1 Vaccine Before High Risk Populations

We told you how Wall Street millionaires got the H1N1 vaccine before pregnant women and children, but USA Today reports it’s worse than we thought.

When swine flu vaccine was most scarce, local health officials gave thousands of doses to corporate clinics at Walt Disney World, Toyota, defense contractors, oil companies and cruise lines, according to a USA TODAY review of vaccine distribution data from three states.

And, it may be worse than that. States like California and New York have so far not released information to USA Today.

State health officials say they’re not playing favorites and are working to distribute the vaccine in a fair manner, but as CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan says, “It’s all on the honor system.”

CREW has asked Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to investigate why the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approved the distribution of the H1NI vaccine to Wall Street firms at a time when the vaccine is unavailable to most Americans. CREW also filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking all records related to the agency’s policies, protocols, and practices for distributing the H1N1 vaccine. The CDC’s response left something to be desired.

In light of the USA Today story hopefully, the CDC will make a concerted effort to better understand and respond to the public’s legitimate concern about the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine.