A Shot in the Arm

A lot of people simply do not believe that swine flu is real, while others think the vaccine is dangerous. So the U.S. Government campaign to inoculate 86 million Americans against the virus by Christmas was lagging badly--when along came Larry Hardison of Concordia, Mo., to give the program a shot in the arm, so to speak. Federal health officials reported last week that the 32-year-old telephone lineman had developed an apparent case of the illness in October. Hardison has since recovered, but he has spurred thousands to roll up their sleeves. The average daily number of New York City residents seeking shots almost doubled following the bulletin on Hardison's illness.

Still, the number being inoculated remains low. Some, apparently recalling the three elderly people who died after receiving vaccinations, fear side effects. Therman Evans, president of the board of education in Washington, D.C., noted in the Washington Post that some blacks have been warned that the shots are part of a genocidal plan to wipe them out. Small wonder that the Government is about 56 million shots shy of its goal.

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