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Wait your turn, Baby Boomers
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A nurse fills a syringe with the H1N1 vaccine in Chicago.
I hate it when people cut in line.
That's the sense I get when I see long lines of people waiting to get H1N1 flu vaccines and some of those people in line are older folks.
They shouldn't be in line to begin with, at least not yet.
In an odd twist, the H1N1 is a flu that doesn't seem to affect older people as badly as it does younger people. During normal seasonal flu the older folks are right up there, as well they should, to get their vaccines.
But the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other health professionals are advising older people to make way for the folks who are most at risk for H1N1:
- Pregnant women,
- People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age,
- Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel,
- Persons between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old.
According to the CDC, people ages of 25 through 64 years of age -- and that includes us Baby Boomers -- aren't a priority for the vaccine unless we are at higher risk because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems. That's something your doctor would advise you about.
Read the CDC's Q&A here.
It's women (specifically pregnant women) and children first, just as it was going for the life rafts on the Titanic.
I can't help but seethe when I watch television coverage of this H1N1 outbreak. I'm ticked off that the vaccine suppliers overpromised when the vaccine would be ready and how much of it would be available. It breaks my heart to hear that there isn't enough yet to go around and kids are becoming infected and some are dying.
And I really get ticked off when I see the reports and the long lines and the older man or woman who's being interviewed about how they couldn't get the H1N1 vaccine because they ran out.
"You shouldn't be in line to begin with!" I yell at the television.
I was heartened by one report that showed an older guy who had given up his spot in line to a pregnant woman. Great, I thought, but you still shouldn't have been in that line.
I talked to my doctor about my risk. Low, he said. Just follow good hygiene practices, he advised.
So I try to make an effort to cough and sneeze into my elbow. Those who know me know I sneeze a lot, so I'm getting well practiced at crooking my elbow to my mouth every time a sneeze comes on. I try to wash my hands frequently. I have hand sanitizing wipes and gels at the ready at home and at the gym where I work out most every day.
We can't be selfish about this. My nieces and nephews need the vaccines first. My daughter who's in health care in a large hospital needs the vaccines first.
I can wait. You can wait. We can get at the back of the line.
