WASHINGTON — The Obama administration gave its most aggressive defense of the federal government’s swine-flu vaccine campaign Wednesday, with top officials arguing that despite the shortages, the program had already been more successful than expected in some ways and millions of doses were quickly becoming available.
While acknowledging many Americans’ frustration, two Cabinet members held a briefing for reporters to ask the public for their patience as the program speeds up.
“What we want to do is reset, in a way,” said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano during the briefing with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “For those who have been ill and even those who have had loved ones who passed away, our sympathies couldn’t be higher,” she said. “But this is not a situation that is cause for panic.”
The briefing came as the administration came under criticism for the slow pace of the vaccine’s availability.
