Catpaw – diary of an angry cat

Evidently a number of Canada’s professional sports teams have employed pregnant women, children under 5 and seniors to play on their teams. How else would you defend giving healthy, young hockey players preferential treatment?

Canada’s H1N1  vaccination program is a complete shambles. The Canadian government didn’t just drop the ball on preparing for this epidemic, it seemed to think if it pretended it wouldn’t happen, then money wouldn’t have to be spent on the program. Canada is extremely short on the vaccine, line ups are epic in scale and there doesn’t seem to be any coherent plan to deal with it. Each day more confusion about the availability of the vaccine, whether it works or not and should you get it in conjunction with the regular flu shot appears in the news. Perhaps Canadian officials should take a short trip down to Mexico and find out how to deal with the problem.

We here in Canada have been told preferential treatment will be given to those most at risk. That is okay by me, if, and only if, this is applied evenly. I fail to see why Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs AND their families rank above those highest in the risk category. Young, extremely fit and healthy men don’t fit the category – I have yet to see a pregnant woman on any of the teams.  Don’t see a single senior lacing up his/her skates. Not a lot of toddlers skating around either (though some of them behave like toddlers at times). According to the Ontario government guidelines, these are the people who should be given the vaccination:

• People with chronic medical conditions, under age 65
• Pregnant women
• Healthy children from six months to five years old
• Persons residing in remote and isolated settings or communities
• Health care workers involved in pandemic response or the delivery of essential health care services
• Household contacts and care providers of persons at high risk who cannot be immunized or may not respond to vaccines

Yup… I see all of them skating around the ice each game.

A couple of issues crop up here. First and foremost, school children are not being vaccinated because of the short supply. Here in Ontario a young boy recently died from H1N1 so the lack of vaccinations is a sore subject. Second, Ontario has had the general vaccination program suspended because we just don’t have enough. Only those at risk were supposed to get the shot. Third, didn’t someone in the head office think “Wow if we let the athletes jump the cue there might be one hell of a back lash”?  None of these players are in the at risk categories. Yes they might get the flu and yup they will be sick. But… they are not in the category where it means life and death. Fourth, as an excuse for seeking preferential treatment Flames defenceman Robyn Regehr said he didn’t know there was a shortage. Wow! I’m.. I’m .. speechless. An athlete that can’t read. He’s either the single stupidest person on the face of the earth, or he’s deaf, illiterate and blind. I’m opting for the first.

I read one response that the players went to private clinics – um… so what? The vaccine is distributed by the government so it should still be distributed according to the guidelines. Private clinics as a reason to jump the cue ahead of someone who very well may die for lack of vaccination doesn’t cut it here in Canada.  Another answer I read left me hopping up and down – it boiled down to if the players get ill with the flu then they can’t get to work and the team will be let down. ??? Basically playing sports for millions of dollars is more important than you and I going to work to make sure we keep a roof over our heads. Sorry, athletes are no more important than the person who works in a restaurant, pumps your gas or works as a store clerk. Each business is just as affected by their absence. The difference is, these people can’t afford to be sick. No work = no pay = bills not paid. To me these people have a priority, not over-paid jock straps with attitude.

Oh .. and kudos to the Edmonton Oilers hockey team and Edmonton Eskimos football team players. Not one of them sought or received preferential treatment. Evidently some Oilers are out with the flu now.

Stumble it!