Washington:
The Obama girls have gotten their swine flu shots. The White House has been weighing how to address public interest in whether the first family has been vaccinated against H1N1, or swine flu.
The administration posted the answer on its Web site on Tuesday: President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, will "wait until the needs of the priority groups" - including young people under 24, pregnant women and people with underlying illnesses - have been met. But daughters Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, fall within the priority groups, and they received their injections last week from the White House doctor, who applied for the vaccine through the District of Columbia Department of Health "using the same process as every other vaccination site in the District."
The vaccinations could raise questions about whether the Obama girls were given special treatment, as the administration grapples with concerns that the vaccine is not more readily available. (Officials say the holdup is with manufacturers, whose production process has been slower than anticipated.) While there are lines at vaccination clinics in the capital, a spokeswoman for the Health Department said no one who fell into a priority group had been turned away.
The White House may be trying to set a good example amid concerns about the vaccine's safety. Sharing the news that the president has allowed his daughters to receive the shots could ease the fears of ordinary Americans who are wondering whether to get vaccinated.
The administration posted the answer on its Web site on Tuesday: President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, will "wait until the needs of the priority groups" - including young people under 24, pregnant women and people with underlying illnesses - have been met. But daughters Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, fall within the priority groups, and they received their injections last week from the White House doctor, who applied for the vaccine through the District of Columbia Department of Health "using the same process as every other vaccination site in the District."
The vaccinations could raise questions about whether the Obama girls were given special treatment, as the administration grapples with concerns that the vaccine is not more readily available. (Officials say the holdup is with manufacturers, whose production process has been slower than anticipated.) While there are lines at vaccination clinics in the capital, a spokeswoman for the Health Department said no one who fell into a priority group had been turned away.
The White House may be trying to set a good example amid concerns about the vaccine's safety. Sharing the news that the president has allowed his daughters to receive the shots could ease the fears of ordinary Americans who are wondering whether to get vaccinated.
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