I must have missed the trial run of the CDC’s taxi-based vaccine dispensary program last year in four cities: Boston, New York, Chicago and Washington, DC. Apparently, Uber’s pilot Vaxi program (not it’s real name) was so successful they are bringing the Vaxi back on a larger scale this year – to 35 cities in all.
Here’s what it’s about: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, November 19, you can order the flu vaccine for anyone over four years old delivered right to your door so long as you order a “Wellness Pack” for $10 first. You tap UberHEALTH on your Uber app, and you’re all set. The Wellness Pack contains water, tissues, hand sanitizer, a bag and a lollipop (I’m guessing that’s for the kiddos?)
According to a recent Washington Post article, which was really native advertising at its finest, there is a nationwide FluMist shortage. (The “shortage” is a “shipping delay.” One wonders if perhaps this so-called shortage has anything to do with the fact that FluMist was completely ineffective against H1N the past two years.) The Post apologized to the kids in advance – they will probably have to get the shot. But which shot? I didn’t see any mention of that pesky Thimerosal issue, but who cares about injecting that into pregnant women and kids?
So Uber will Vaxi a registered nurse from Passport Health (a nationwide travel clinic) to your desired destination who will happily vaccinate you and up to nine others for FREE! I hope I’m getting this right: Uber is delivering a medical procedure with known risks from a taxi, with zero patient accountability or follow-up. What could go wrong? I think the selling point is that you get your “flu protection” in the comfort of your own home or office. There’s literally no excuse now, right? It sounds like the perfect model since no one is responsible should anything go wrong. But we know from VICP settled injury cases that it does.
The Vaxi (again, not its real name) is the brainchild of a company called Epidemico, an informatics company, “that provides early insights, continuous monitoring and consumer engagement for a wide range of population health domains, including disease outbreaks, drug safety, supply chain vulnerabilities and more.” Sounds like the CDC had to hire the really big guns given the inactivated flu vaccine was only 18% effective last year and only about 50% in a “good” year. Flu vaccination rates hover at around 50%, while the flu vaccine causes the most reported vaccine injuries in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting Ssystem (VAERS), and the most frequently compensated cases in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
I guess with those sorts of effectiveness numbers combined with the recent news that if you’ve had a previous flu vaccine in the last five years, your shot will be even less effective, you really need to think outside the box to increase your bottom line. Flu vaccine manufacturers do not “recommend” their products for pregnant women, and the FDA has not approved it for such use; however, the CDC does not adhere to such limitations and seeks out every age group, every demographic to increase the numbers. I must admit, I’m really impressed with this one. It’s genius.
Epidemico has been so valuable an ally to Uber that its Senior Executive Advisor, John Brownstein, has signed onto their payroll as its “first advisor in the field of healthcare.” That would be the liability-free and checks-and-balances-free, kind of healthcare.
So as November 19 comes and goes and the Vaxis dispense tens of thousands of vaccines across 35 cities, rest assured that your tax dollars will be hard at work when the vaccine injuries start to pour in post-Vaxi.
I wonder, will the nurse take a health history before administering the vaccine? Ask about previous vaccine reactions and egg allergies? (I know they won’t ask about MTHFR mutations and methylation status.) How long will the nurse stay after administering this free shot to make sure that the patient doesn’t have an anaphylactic reaction? Will people connect the dots when a delayed reaction occurs? Will they call Uber to ask if their nurse can return and tend to their injuries? I’m sure that nurse will be long gone, a Florence Nightingale-type figure confined to distant memory, never to return. And will there be any incidents involving Uber drivers to add to The Definitive List of Uber Horror Stories?
Since the vaccine program is a system devoid of checks and balances, then it leaves the door wide open for other schemes lacking in checks and balances to carry out the task at hand. And what is the task? To increase the vaccination rates at all costs, regardless of injuries, regardless of people’s questions, fears, or hesitation. I thought I had seen some interesting and overt tactics before, like a free shot with your Big Mac or 20% off your shopping with each jab, but this one is quite unique.
The Vaxi . . .It’s one ride I will pass on. And I hope you will do your homework before trusting a scheme as risky as this one.
~ ShamROCK
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