From Flu Wiki 2

Forum: King County Home Delivery of Vaccines or Drugs Test

10 November 2006

pablo escobar – at 10:49

http://www.metrokc.gov/health/postaldelivery/index.htm

King County, WA is going to test the home delivery this Saturday of drugs and or vaccine. Using the Postal Service, with a police escort. Now Saturday’s test will have one officer, what do you bet they will need a a much larger force in event of an actual emergency.

This test does have a few logical inconsistencies. They say it is for a Bio-terrorism drill, but it is being done under the guise of a biological attack. Why not radiation?

From the web page FAQ

5. Why is this test exercise happening now?

As a part of overall increased emergency preparedness activities, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working with local communities to enhance their ability to ‘distribute emergency medicines being stockpiled throughout the country’. This exercise with postal carriers is part of the federal government’s Cities Readiness Initiative, which is an effort to increase the capacity of major metropolitan centers to rapidly deliver medications to help prevent illness during large-scale biological emergencies. The stockpile of medicines is part of the federal Strategic National Stockpile.

the size of the box is about 2 inches by 4 inches. It will be accompanied by a flyer.

Watch what they do, not what they say.

Since Saturday is a holiday, the postal service will be able to concentrate only on this delivery. Kind of makes sense when you realize regular mail will stop in case of a pandemic.

In addition, your friends think a pandemic isn’t real? Do you realize how much money it will cost to pay the postal employees double time, as well as the police escort? And the cost of printing the flyer and box? I would conservatively estimate the spend on this test at $500,000. That kind of money isn’t spent on a low probability event scenario in my opinion.

JV – at 11:42

WOW! Good catch pablo! This will be fascinating to watch. I wonder if this will be reported by the news media.

pablo escobar – at 12:01

That’s how I found out about it. The local news last night, King 5, had a 3 minute report, with pictures, and Dorthy Teeter. There must have been a press conference. They had video of the flyer and Box. With my High Def picture, I was able to read the box clearly and it just mumbled stuff about this being a test and not to worry.

King 5′s web site has the teleprompter script available. Just search for bioterrorism. It shows up as a September story till you click on it.

Leo7 – at 14:09

Pablo,

By far the most interesting story reported on the wicki in weeks. This is happening in our own backyard, and everyone here is yawning-maybe there has been a brain drain. A big story for anyone following what the US Pandemic plan calls for. Here’s my question. Are people to be expected to inject themselves with a vaccine or take it to some place and a trained person would give the shot?

Suzi – at 14:44

I agree, very interesting … I attended the community control measures meeting put on by the Keystone Group and CDC in Atlanta 2 weeks, was told by someone that worked for Georgia DHR off the record that plans were being discussed for this type of delivery in Georgia.

Grace RN – at 15:01

This is smart to try-we had a seasonal flu clinic recently as part of an annual health fair, gave out about 600 shots (townships residents number=~36,000) and it was pure chaos.

so it’s good that they are looking at other ideas/thoughts on mass distribution.

crfullmoon – at 15:08

“Using the Postal Service, with a police escort” I imagined something like that would need to be done for various reasons in pandemic; postal carriers know their route citizens, somewhat, and armed people could be nat’l guard from away(or even deputized concealled carry like one country county considered using for security?) if they had a guide. For distribution of Rx meds to keep people alive while the meds hold out -how are vaxes going to stay the right temps, “Goldilocks” temps, during distribution 6 or 8 or 9 months into a pandemic, anyway? (or hey, maybe even could help with unattended fatality collections left by the curb?)and the fuel is available.

;-) Or other way around; military vechiles could use postal carriers when they need to go someplace; so they don’t get lost….

I stil wonder what quantities of what are currently available “for distribution” during a pandemic; at this point perhaps they think spending money to go through reassurring motions is cheap at the short-term price. I know they also have iodine pills in case of radiation, ect, but I’d like to know how many days of what would come in useful for pandemic… (Still be easier to have the public getting ready to shelter-in-place.)

aurora – at 15:41

“Here’s my question. Are people to be expected to inject themselves with a vaccine or take it to some place and a trained person would give the shot?”

I think they may be hoping to use a patch…

“Skin Patches Instead of Shots?

Dreaded vaccinations one day could be as simple as sticking on a Band-Aid — ouchless and do-it-yourself.

Early tests of skin-patch vaccines are beginning in hundreds of volunteers, one version designed to protect against the flu and another to prevent travelers’ diarrhea.

The idea isn’t just pain-free vaccination. The National Institutes of Health is helping fund patch research in hopes of strengthening today’s imperfect flu shots, and gaining extra help if bird flu or some other super-flu ever triggers a pandemic.

Indeed, patch developer Iomai Corp. proposes that the mailman, not a doctor, deliver flu vaccine during a pandemic. Once a vaccine is brewed, simply ship patches to people’s homes with instructions to slap one on.

Doctors might not like the go-it-alone method. But the technology’s main promise may be in developing countries. Unlike syringe-based vaccines, patches wouldn’t need refrigeration — nor pose the infection risk of reused needles, a continuing problem…”

http://www.happynews.com/news/1172006/skin-patches-instead-shots.htm

17 November 2006

DemFromCT - closed – at 13:50
Retrieved from http://www.fluwikie2.com/index.php?n=Forum.KingCountyHomeDeliveryOfVaccinesOrDrugsTest
Page last modified on November 17, 2006, at 01:50 PM