President Obama Declares H1N1 a National Emergency
October 25, 2009
(ChattahBox) — President Obama declared H1N1 (Swine) flu a national emergency on Saturday a move intended to help overwhelmed health-care facilities absorb the surge of new patients with the flu. Obama’s proclamation allows U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to approve individual waivers that will exempt hospitals and other medical facilities from certain daily regulations that get in the way of treating the flu quickly and effectively. The declaration also allows the health secretary to remove some of the red tape associated with treating patients on Medicare and Medicaid.
Administration officials said said that elevating the pandemic to national-emergency status was a pre-emptive move designed to make decisions easier when they need to be made. “The H1N1 is moving rapidly, as expected. By the time regions or health-care systems recognize they are becoming overburdened, they need to implement disaster plans quickly,” said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin. Health authorities say more than 1,000 people in the United States, including almost 100 children, have died from the strain of flu known as H1N1, and 46 states have widespread flu activity. H1N1 is now widespread in 46 states and the U.S. death toll has passed 1,000. Less than half of the swine-flu vaccine expected to be shipped to doctors, hospitals and clinics in the U.S. this month has been shipped so far, as vaccine makers scramble to fill vast orders using an old technology that requires growing virus in chicken eggs. The U.S. government is funding newer technologies that hold the promise of a more reliable and expandable vaccine supply, but flu vaccines are not nearly as profitable as other kinds of drugs, and most of the biggest vaccine makers have little incentive to switch from a method with which they are familiar.
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5 Responses to “President Obama Declares H1N1 a National Emergency”
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I know quite a few people that have had the HIN1 virus and have recovered very fast.
The U.S. president, Barack Obama, has signed a decree establishing a national emergency in light of the swine flu.
The question is if it is a ploy to push through the health care reform through a federalization of the health care centers or if its all just a question of too little too late.
I don’t believe the Swine Flu is a ‘National Emergency’, and I only think this will draw more panic among the public.
Seems more like a distraction to keep attention from all the other problems that don’t seem to be on their way to being fixed anytime soon.
I don’t believe the Swine Flu is a ‘National Emergency’, and I only think this will draw more panic among the public.
Seems more like a distraction to keep attention from all the other problems that don’t seem to be on their way to being fixed anytime soon.
by declaring National Emergency, Executive Directive 51 takes effect, essentially making the President a dictator by suspending the other 2 braches of gov’t.
change you can count on