CDC Guesstimated Number of Swine Flu Cases, Refused CBS FOIA Request

24Oct/0969

CDC Guesstimated Number of Swine Flu Cases, Refused CBS FOIA Request

President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.

The declaration, signed Friday night and announced Saturday, comes with the disease more prevalent than ever in the U.S. and production delays undercutting the government's initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses of the vaccine could be available by mid-October.

Health authorities say more than 1,000 people in the United States, including almost 100 children, have died from the flu, known as H1N1, and 46 states have widespread flu activity. So far only 11 million vaccine doses have gone out to health departments, doctor's offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.

Administration officials said the declaration was a pre-emptive move designed to make decisions easier when they need to be made. Officials said the move was not in response to any single development.

*******

The government now hopes to have about 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine out by mid-November and 150 million in December. The flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs, and the yield hasn't been as high as was initially hoped, officials have said.

"Many millions" of Americans have had swine flu so far, according to an estimate that CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden gave Friday. The government doesn't test everyone to confirm swine flu so it doesn't have an exact count. He also said there have been more than 20,000 hospitalizations.

Strangely, though, the CDC estimates that ManBirdPig cases have peaked and are on the decline:

According to the CDC, swine flu infections have already peaked, and the pandemic is on its way out. Peak infection time was the middle of October, where one in five U.S. children experienced the flu, says the CDC. Out of nearly 14,000 suspected flu cases tested during the week ending on October 10, 2009, 99.6% of those were influenza A, and the vast majority of those were confirmed as H1N1 swine flu infections. (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/)

Even though the H1N1 pandemic appears to have peaked out, U.S. President Barack Obama has now declared a national emergency over swine flu infections. The reasoning behind such a declaration? According to the White House, it's designed to "allow hospitals to better handle the surge in patients" by allowing them to bypass certain federal laws.

Back in 2004, there were problems with flu vaccine rollout that John Kerry turned into a campaign indictment of the Bush Administration. Back then, the media was all over the shortage and the incompetence it exposed.

Once again, the vast majority of the vaccine will have been made available too late to have any significant impact on the spread of the disease. Whether it will have any impact on the public's perception of the government's competency to control health care is a matter of speculation, entirely, but it seems liable not to help. And that is perhaps why Obama determined that this is the moment in which it was most propitious to declare an emergency, so that when the epidemic ends he can recycle his rhetoric regarding jobs created or saved.

Whether the administration will use the declared state of emergency to stifle the babblings of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan remains to be seen. Likely the decision will be made by CDC poobah Eric Holder.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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Clark Gillespie
October 26th, 2009 - 09:23

You don’t hire people if they’re skin is black, Carin.

Knock, knock, by any measure that makes you a racist.

Jesus, lady, you’re the one who admitted to being a racist, why the outrage? What do you think being a racist means?

What was your lame excuse again, oh yeah, Detroit Negroes are different than other Negroes.

And you were home-schooling for a while, no? You teach your kids this shit? Appalling.

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Clark Gillespie
October 26th, 2009 - 09:24

they’re – their

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Clark Gillespie
October 26th, 2009 - 09:41

I think it’s obvious I pegged a few people correctly.

Get this, I feel no sympathy for ya either.

God didn’t make you a racist, you chose to be.

Hahaha. I’m right. Again. Just a talent I have, push a few chips and little by little one gets the info they need to make a call.

Race sensitivity class will resume when I return!

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- Bob Reed
  October 26th, 2009 - 09:46
  
  Incessantly repeated invectives and false charges don’t equal rhetorical victory. Remember that…
  
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  - thor
    October 26th, 2009 - 10:41
    
    Hey, Bob, not even Carin is disputing what I say she posted.
    
    She’s making excuses, like before, such as we hired a few, we did, and that’s why we won’t hire any more African-Americans. See, there from Detroit, these blacks! Hahaha, as if that makes any fuckin’ sense.
    
    Man-up, spine growth necessary, get with the equality thing in the Constitution, soldier Bob!
    
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carin
October 26th, 2009 - 09:42

I’m not revisiting this issue with you thor because you are a liar and I’ve tried before.

Not worth it.

We’ve hired black folks before. They’ve quit. Once after first day.

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- thor
  October 26th, 2009 - 10:32
  
  Save that and tell it to the Judge, hahaha.
  
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thor
October 26th, 2009 - 10:28

Damn right you don’t want to revisit this issue with me, you silly ass woman.

I know what you said and I immediately called you out for it.

Once upon a time I worked for a big company, Carin, and was in charge of hiring a few people. Know what big companies do, Carin? They put you in front of an company attorney until he/she feels confidant that you understand EEOC rules before they allow you to begin hiring for the big company.

The honorable Justice Clarence Thomas was once head of the EEOC, Carin. He was in charge of making sure persons, like you, don’t use race as the primary reason to disallow an employment opportunity. It’s the law of the land of the land I love!

Anyone else love America? No?

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Bob Reed
October 26th, 2009 - 10:42

Glad to see you’re multiple personalities have all converged back into one.

Gee, I’ve been in charge of hiring fir a large, diverse, organization too. And I never spent days in front of an attorney; until that enlightened one acknowledged my EEOC bona-fides. I guess they sensed your racist tendancies or something…

We all love America thor, just some of us love her unconditionally, as she is; not for what she may become…

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thor
October 26th, 2009 - 10:53

Oh, Bob, running cover for racists who hate the Constitution, tsk, tsk.

Bob, don’t try BS with me. Every company worth a shit is going to have a copy of a EEOC info-filled booklet that will require an employee to initial or sign it stating that they received, read and understand the law and company policy. It’s how they cover their ass when they get sued because of an employee’s foibles, the old we warned him/her and he/she knew the rules, check out the EEOC booklet he/she signed! It limits their liability, genius.

Bona-fides my fuckin’ ass. It’s hard to actually believe you hired anyone for anyone because if you had you wouldn’t be attempting to run flack for such a flagrant violation of EEOC laws, else you’re talking way back pre-eighties or something.

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thor
October 26th, 2009 - 11:04

Race-based bigot defender Bob, do you stand up for Carin or do you stand for the Constitution of the United States of America?

This question is troublesome.

Just who or what are you fighting for?

Hahaha, such a sticky web I weave.

What sort of discharge from the military, exactly, did you receive? Your possible attitude toward Colin Powell and other African-Americans servicemen indicates less than honorable, Sir.

There is such a thing as honor, Bob. And the military is big on that honor stuff.

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- Bob Reed
  October 26th, 2009 - 11:16
  
  Honorable all the way…
  
  “Your possible attitude toward Colin Powell and other African-Americans servicemen…”
  
  If anything ever sounded commisar-iash or thought-police like, your statement does there…
  
  My possible attitude indeed; we’ve been over this same scorched earth before…
  
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Bob Reed
October 26th, 2009 - 11:14

I don’t believe for a minute that Carin hates the Constitution. And people’s past experiences can color their future judgements…

Have you ever been to Detroit? I mean, lived and worked there? Are you aware of the almost post apocalyptic setting that it’s become? Where less than half of all public school students ever graduate from high school. Where businesses have fled the employer unfriendly environment; fostered by the slavish deference to the wishes of the large UAW, almost exclusively Democrat, constituency. It’s what happens when an entitlement mentality grips an entire city, one that no longer can afford the luxury of class warfare. It’s what happens when the UAW greedily prices an entire industry out of the market; it’s the fallout of a socialistic ideology…

Michgans 2009 budget was on the order of 44 billion dollars of which nearly 5 billion alone was for “Family Independance”-a euphamism for welfare…

And the budget contains more gimmes than that, just a few are detailed here:

http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2009/10/granhom-admits-she-is-holding-students.html

You don’t know what she’s dealing with there, so don’t go all Freud on her statements assigning racist intent to them. Heck, you do that enough to my own, which I know not to be racist, that I would have doubts about anyone you apply that charge to…

The boy who cried wolf too many times began to be doubted too…

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- thor
  October 26th, 2009 - 11:29
  
  Gimme a fuckin’ break, I’ve probably spent more time in downtown Detroit than our former bartender warehouser Queen.
  
  You don’t have assign racist intent when that’s all there is.
  
  Here’s some Crayolas for you to write out your economic theory thoughts, Bob. Don’t forget to add a big yellow sun in the top corner.
  
  Say, Bob, any of your current income come from entitlement programs?
  
  Wolf? Is that what I hear you crying? The man who denied the obvious too many times…
  
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  - Bob Reed
    October 26th, 2009 - 11:40
    
    None of my income comes from redistributionist entitlement programs designed to somehow provide social justice. It’s payback for years of service, devotion, and puttin’ it on the line.
    
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    - thor
      October 26th, 2009 - 11:45
      
      That’s what I thought, ahahhahahahaha!
      
      Well, good for you. Enjoy my tax money.
      
      I hear the Honduran economy is in shambles. Tourism is down 70%!
      
      Damn military coups are bad for business. Maybe I should go down there and check ‘em hungry Hondurans out.
      
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    - Bob Reed
      October 26th, 2009 - 11:52
      
      I earned it thor, I didn’t magically recieve it for just existing.
      
      And didn’t you hear, the “military coup” talking point is out, by authority of the UN no less. But it is still OK to hand wring about them illegally deporting him…
      
      Maybe the great and benevolent O! should consider resuming the foreign aid that they shamefully cut off…
      
      Doesn’t sound like a Nobel prize winning action to me…
      
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    - thor
      October 27th, 2009 - 03:08
      
      Ppppppp!
      
      How about it’s money to keep you from living under a bridge for lack of employable skills.
      
      What’s it like to be a staggering monument to the excesses of the U.S. military?
      
      Have you considered volunteering some of your paid-for free time to help better your community? Obama’s got some fresh new volunteer programs to choose from. It’d look good on your resume as well if you ever choose to re-enter the workforce. I can help you with your resume, BTW.
      
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    - Bob Reed
      October 27th, 2009 - 05:54
      
      A staggering monument to the excesses of the US military, that’s rich…
      
      As a matter of fact I already do quite a bit of volunteer work. In addition to sitting on the neighborhood association board, I use my engineering skills to help plan and administrate capital improvement projects for the neighborhood infrastructure and my church; taking the pressure off our overburdened Pubic Utilities commissioner and the Pastor who can’t afford professional nor managerial services. I’m actively present, and vocal to be sure, at city council and school board meetings and hearings. Also, I roll up my sleeves and actually fix things at the church that are beyond the skill level of the super, like doors, windiws, locks, safes, boilers, electrical devices, etc.-I’m handy like that, who I suspect was hired out of a desire to help a crippled man than for his skill. On top of all these things I shovel snow for all of my elderly neighbors who can’t as well as fetch things from the store, or take them, if they are in need; duties that will be more in demand this winter.
      
      So thanks for the suggestion, but I don’t need any of Mr. Obama’s programs to get involved in my local community; I’ll just do it the old fashioned way that I always have.
      
      And as far as re-entering the workforce goes, I’m working on an educational projects; writing a curriculum and the texts for a rocket and aviation course that I hope to integrate into public school science courses. Over the summer I “test drove” the rocket part of the course at a session for talented teens at Hofstra.
      
      But thanks all the same for the offer…
      
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agile_dog
October 26th, 2009 - 11:17

Before the post was thread-jacked by thor, it was pointed out our President has declared a national emergency, even though we have past the peak infection rate. Is the incubation period that long, or is there another wave coming? I mean, 1000 dead – that’s not even 5% of the normal annual flu toll in this country. So why the emergency?

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- Bob Reed
  October 26th, 2009 - 11:22
  
  Never let a crisis go to waste, agile dog…
  
  I mean, there may be some way to turn this to his advantage, using it to scare people into thinking we need Obamacare passed now!
  
  Although in all fairness I think many experts fear succeeding waves of the virus, and especially are afraid of mutated strains that resist current treatments and vaccines.
  
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SDN
October 26th, 2009 - 16:43

Thank you, whore. Remarks like that one about Carin are perfect examples for bringing charges under the Violence Against Women Act.

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carin
October 26th, 2009 - 18:26

know what you said and I immediately called you out for it.
Once upon a time I worked for a big company, Carin, and was in charge of hiring a few people. Know what big companies do, Carin? They put you in front of an company attorney until he/she feels confidant that you understand EEOC rules before they allow you to begin hiring for the big company.

You are fucking wrong about my original story, and have lied about it for – oh – two years now?

We’ve HIRED TWO BLACK PEOPLE. One worked ONE DAY AND QUIT. That is what I said years ago, and that is still the same today. The other black guy worked for about six months before he moved along.

I used that example to discuss issues regarding employment trends in Detroit. YOU extrapolated that we didn’t hire black folks. YOu were FUCKING WRONG THEN and you’re still wrong.

You are a silly stupid man, Thor. Think you’ve spent more time in Detroit than me. Statements like that just tell me how unhinged you are.

Why did I even come back here to see what other nastiness you’ve spread.

I think thor has serious issues. Mostly related to his VERY VERY tiny penis, which makes him lash out at women.

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- thor
  October 27th, 2009 - 02:55
  
  You Lie!
  
  Nice to see you try and back-peddle. That shows you have a modicum of awareness to the despicable nature of blacks-are’um-lazy narrative you were pimping at the time.
  
  You’re a dumb fat-nippled cunt, lest you forget your revelation of how genuinely proud you are of the size of your big, fat nipples. Gadzooks, you even made the house pets barf with that tale.
  
  You’re typical, Carin, oh too typical. You get no quarter from me, I know your type.
  
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Bob Reed
October 26th, 2009 - 20:25

Oooh, that’s going to definitely leave a mark!

pwn3d, Dude…

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Loki
October 27th, 2009 - 13:34

thor, you really should seek professional help.

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