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Tommy Thompson Speaks About the Flu Vaccine Shortage; Game Six to Be Played in the ALCS and NLCS

Aired October 19, 2004 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And as we told you, the president is on a bus tour through Florida today -- that key battleground state. And right now, he is at The Villages Retirement/Vacation Community in The Villages, Florida. And the president is talking about Social Security, the same topics that Senator Kerry is talking about today -- Medicare and Social Security. And later today, the president will continue -- maybe another stop in Florida and then it's back to the White House at about 6:30.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And Tony, were you right? Is it the Nancy Lopez Golf Course?

HARRIS: It is. Yeah, she has a signature golf course there -- Nancy Lopez Signature Golf Course at The Villages. This is a great community.

PHILLIPS: The president might be teeing off after he talks.

HARRIS: Well, yeah, he's got a decent swing. Why not? I'm sure he won't have problems getting a tee time.

PHILLIPS: Also, something else we're following for you. Secretary Tommy Thompson expected to come up to the podium any moment now. As you know, the Health and Human Services secretary and other top health officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Veterans Administration will hold a massive news conference today regarding the flu and the flu vaccine.

Another note to add -- and this just coming into CNN -- we're told the FDA is in active negotiations right now with a Canadian manufacturer to obtain an extra one-and-a-half million doses of the flu vaccine. This was just confirmed not long ago. Health Canada also saying it was first contacted by the FDA back on October 12th, just a week after the British government barred Chiron Corporation -- as you know, that British-based company that made the flu vaccine from shipping 48 million doses of the vaccine to the U.S. due to contamination. We'll take this live event as soon as it happens.

PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, now in the news -- the government announces an increase in Social Security payments. The 2.7 percent cost of living adjustment adds $25 to the monthly check and affects more than 52 million retired or disabled Americans. The benefits are tied to the consumer price index and are in line with inflation.

A former Internal Revenue Service investigator returned to the witness stand in the Scott Peterson murder trial. The defense is presenting its case and trying to dispute the prosecution's theory Peterson stood to gain financially from the death of his wife Laci.

Two people on board a small plane killed when it crashed during a rainstorm in Atlanta today. The twin-engine Beech 55 crashed into an empty auto body shop just about 40 yards from the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. Nobody on the ground was injured.

HARRIS: Well, time is of the essence as George Bush and John Kerry hit battleground states in the countdown until the election. But how close is the race depends on whose numbers you believe. One poll has Bush leading by eight points, while another has them tied.

Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport is crunching the numbers for us in Princeton, New Jersey. And Frank, good to see you.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Good to see you, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, Frank, what explains the differences from poll to poll?

NEWPORT: Well, it's not unusual based on our experience to find some differences. One explanation -- or factor to look at -- is timing. In a campaign like this in the last two or three weeks, we're clearly going to see some differences almost on a day-by-day basis.

Our last CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, which had Bush up by three among registered voters and eight among likely voters was last Thursday through Saturday. And there may have been some reaction in there, for example, to the debate simmering through the Republicans based on perhaps the comments about Mary Cheney, hypothetically, that caused Republicans to do better. But maybe that's kind of worked its way through...

HARRIS: Frank -- we'll get back to Frank in just a couple of moments. But let's go now out and hear from U.S. Health and Services (sic) Secretary Tommy Thompson, who's going to give us an update on the flu vaccine supply in the country.

(BEGIN LIVE NEWS EVENT -- JOINED IN PROGRESS)

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: All the individuals have, the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Jim Loy, and also David Williams, Aventis chairman. I'm very happy that he's here. David Williams gave me some very good news today, what you're going to hear about in a few minutes. And also Damian Braga, who's the Aventis U.S. president. I thank both of those individuals.

And of course, on my right, we have the doctor for America, the Surgeon General Carmona -- Richard Carmona. The head of National Institutes of Health Elliott Sarhuni (ph), and Dr. Tony Fauci is with us, along with Dr. Les Crawford, and Scott McLellan who, of course, is another doctor. So, we got all the doctors here, as well. And Stuart Simonson (ph) who is a doctor of law. So, we've got the waterfront covered today. But all of these individuals have been working together as partners in developing plans dealing with flu. What we're doing today is we're going to make sure that we not only establish the partnership, but include this as an ongoing task force to make recommendations to the president, but also to Congress on how we can -- are able to attract more companies into the vaccination business, but also to make sure that we are able to continue to advise people about this flu problem we have in America.

From the moment that we learned about the loss of the Chiron vaccine, we responded swiftly -- and I want to underscore that, swiftly -- to prioritize vaccine supplies, redirect distribution to the people and to the places that need it most. And we're working very hard to expand our stockpiles of vaccine and anti-viral medicines.

In fact, we have been planning for an event such as this literally since we walked through the doors of HHS back in 2001. We knew that our flu vaccine manufacturing marketplace had withered for neglect for much of the '90s, and we began taking aggressive steps to reverse that environment, as well as prepare for challenges such as the one that we faced this year with a vaccine shortage.

But I will get more into the cause of this problem in our record of achievement in a moment.

First, I want to address the American people, and some of the more important steps that we're going to take to deal immediately with impact of the flu vaccine shortage. We understand, yours and the public's concern, about the loss of the Chiron flu vaccine supply. Removing this vaccine was a necessary step, however, that helped to be able to keep contaminated vaccine out of the arms of Americans. And this, of course, is the responsibility of this department, and specifically FDA, and they did it well.

But we want the public to know that we do have the ability -- we do have the ability to deal with the coming flu season and help protect people from the complications of this illness, particularly for those who are the most vulnerable. We have healthy supplies of anti-viral medicines and vaccines to help keep you safe from the flu and any complications that may come from the flu.

While we don't have as much flu vaccine as we planned for, the combination of the existing 60 million doses of vaccine and anti-viral medicines that can potentially treat 40 million more people gives us the ability to stave off the harsh effects of the flu this coming season.

In addition, the doctors up here, as well as our federal health officials, continue to encourage seniors to get the pneumococcal vaccine, which will help prevent a major complication of the flu, pneumonia. And if you get this year, it's good for several years thereafter. So, it's important for you to look at that option.

We want to also underscore that our supplies of medicines and vaccines so that people can keep the coming flu season in a healthy perspective. We need all of us to take a deep breath.

We've successfully worked through vaccine supply problems in the past, and we're doing so this time, as well. In particular, we don't want seniors standing in long lines waiting for the vaccine. This is unnecessary and may pose even greater health risk for some seniors than the flu. We're still in the early stages of the flu season, and millions more doses of vaccine will be shipped in the coming weeks -- approximately 24 million more doses of vaccine will be shipped over the course of the next several weeks. So, there's still time to get vaccinated.

So, let me update you on our supply. We expect to have 60 million doses of flu vaccine and FluMist nasal spray for the coming season. That's just slightly below the 62 million doses that were distributed just six years ago in 1998. The 60 million doses include, first off, Aventis Pasteur estimated that they could be able to give us 50 million doses, then they were able to increase that to 54 million doses. And if you remember when we made the announcement, they told us that they could increase it by an additional 1.4 million for a total of 55.4 million doses when we announced that the Chiron shipment was not coming.

I'm happy to be able to report that, today, David Williams called me and told me that, as we had been discussing for some time over the last couple weeks, that there is an additional 2.6 million doses available coming from Aventis Pasture which will not be ready until January. But it is an additional 2.6 million doses are for a total from Aventis Pasteur of 58 million doses. And you'd couple that with the two million doses of FluMist, and we have a total of 60 million doses of vaccine.

As you know, we continue to explore every option to obtain more vaccine also from other sources. We have ongoing negotiations today, as we have for some time, with our neighbors to the north, Canada. And they've indicated they have some, and our FDA is working with Canada as we speak. And hopefully we'll have a report for you in the relatively near future.

About half of the existing supply, however, has been distributed, and the CDC and Aventis now are working on distributing the remaining 24 million doses. So, more vaccine is on its way to communities. And we will shipping out approximately two-and-a-half to three million doses each and every week for the next seven weeks until we use it up. And then, the final dosage of approximately 2.6 million doses will be sent out on the first week in January.

So, as the CDC advises, please be patient, but also be persistent. We want to make sure that the flu...

HARRIS: That is U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson basically allaying some concerns and fears and also asking people not to panic and not to get into very long lines and search for flu shots and the vaccine. And I suppose the news that he made is that there is an additional two to six million doses of the vaccine being made available.

Let's get over to Kyra now for more on this.

PHILLIPS: That's right. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us now. You've also been monitoring this. A couple of points here that maybe you can talk about. First of all, the 2.6 million doses, the additional doses -- what does that mean, and does it have to happen before January?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what he said what that they would be -- what Secretary Thompson said is that Aventis Pasteur, which makes the flu vaccine, would be shipping out between two-and-a-half and three million doses -- or that two-and-a- half to three million doses per week will be coming out to American communities. That, of course, is good news.

Now, the trick here is when will flu strike? The secretary made a specific reference to more flu vaccine being available, for example, in January. Well, if like last year flu hits in December, that won't necessarily be very helpful. But to have a little bit at a time every week will, of course, be a good thing.

The trick is will it be distributed to the right people? I've certainly heard some stories of perfectly healthy people walking into their doctor's office saying, "Hey, I really want my flu shot," and getting it, even though technically they really shouldn't.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, I think it kind of depends where on you live and what your doctor has.

COHEN: And what your doctor is willing to do.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, that's true. The gift of negotiation, I guess, on that one. With regard to -- it sounded like seniors are definitely on the mind of Secretary Thompson. He mentioned the pneumococcal vaccine, which of course, in layman's term, you told me, the pneumonia vaccine.

COHEN: The pneumonia vaccine, right.

PHILLIPS: So, what was his theory there?

COHEN: That's very important for people, especially elderly people, to understand. Every winter, flu shots are offered to elderly people and also this pneumonia vaccine is offered. And that's just in case someone gets the flu, you don't also want them to get pneumonia, which would complicate things even further.

So, what the secretary was trying to say is even if you can't at this point find a flu vaccine, or even if you can, get the pneumococcal, get the pneumonia vaccine, because that's another thing you need to worry about. And so, this will at least help you with that complication of the flu should you get the flu.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now, of course, we're talking about the active negotiations going on with this Canadian manufacturer, the FDA talking about this and getting the vaccine from Canada. It also raises the question of Canadian prescription medicine and this whole import/export and the cheaper drugs over in Canada. OK, that's not going on, but yet now FDA is seeking...

COHEN: Right. It's confusing.

PHILLIPS: It's very confusion.

COHEN: ... don't go to Canada, don't get prescription drugs there. Now they're actively pursuing getting vaccines from Canada. And I guess the answer is when you don't have enough of something, you'll go to Canada to get it, right?

PHILLIPS: Go to other means.

COHEN: Right, exactly. And Health Canada says that their standards for vaccine are very similar to the standards in the United States, that it really is pretty much all the same product, the same flu that's going to hit the U.S. winter is going to hit Canada, also. And again, Health Canada says that their vaccine is made to the same safety specifications as the vaccine made in the United States.

I think that it's important to point out that even if the U.S. is successful at getting these 1.5 million additional doses, they're lacking 48 million doses from Chiron, that's the company where their production had to be shut down because of contamination issues.

So, is it a good thing to get 1.5 million extra doses? Of course it is. But still, you're looking at a 48 million dose deficit from Chiron, which they're now trying to make up, buy extra from other companies, a little bit from Canada. Little bit here and there is what they're trying to do.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

COHEN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Sort of sorted that out.

COHEN: Right.

PHILLIPS: Right. OK. We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Makes you think of the boys of summer, but this is fall ball we're talking about.

PHILLIPS: Boys of October.

HARRIS: Boys of October. Back and forth they batted and battled until this astronomical hit ended it all. Look at this. Jeff Kent hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning in last night's game, sending the Astros to a 3-0 win over the Cardinals. Houston is up three games to two in the National League series. The two teams will meet in St. Louis tomorrow for game six.

Meanwhile, Boston fans are asking "Who's your daddy now?" They put me on camera for that? This is the way you do things around here on LIVE FROM?

PHILLIPS: "Who's your daddy?" It's all about the fun.

HARRIS: Last night's Boston marathon between the Yanks and the Red Sox asking "Who's your daddy now?" after nearly six hours, setting a postseason record -- they won't put me on camera anymore -- and forced a game six and kept Boston's World Series hopes alive to see another day.

For more on the battle still brewing, here is CNN's Mark McKay -- Mark?

MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: How about "Who's your poppy?" That's who did all the damage the past two nights, Tony and Kyra. The Boston Red Sox, they have indeed answered the bell for game number six -- or round six, if you're looking at this as a heavyweight battle of the American League Championship Series.

We have a change of venue, from Fenway Park, we have come to Yankee Stadium in Boston (sic). The Red Sox come to the Bronx on an emotional high after playing a pair of heart-stopping games at Fenway. From the brink of elimination, David Ortiz almost single-handedly brought Boston back into the series by capping off back-to-back marathons with miracle finishes. Yes, New York still leads the series, but the Yanks are bewildered while the Red Sox continue to flirt with baseball history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY DAMON, RED SOX OUTFIELDER: I know they're in the magic place in Yankee Stadium, but you know, we've won ball games there and tomorrow would be a good time to win another.

GABE KAPLER, RED SOX OUTFIELDER: We do have a chance to make history. And whether we do it or not remains to be seen, but you know, we have all the dominoes in line and we feel like we have momentum on our side. We're ready to go over there and see what happens.

JOE TORRE, YANKEES MANAGER: If they had beat us up, you know, lopsided two games in a row, I'd say that's one thing. But these games back and forth, it was a matter of a pitch, a hit, a run. So, you know, sure the momentum's on their side, but I'm not sure it affected us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKAY: Now, if Boston is going to be the first team to even force a game seven in baseball's postseason, let alone win this series, they have to get a strong performance out of their starting pitcher Curt Schilling. Then again, with the Red Sox miracle theme these days, Schilling is a miracle in himself.

We didn't think we'd see him back in the postseason. He's been fitted with a special shoe to go against the Yankee hitters tonight. Tony, it is hoped that shoe will help the ankle that he has been bothered by. Red Sox hopes not only resting on his shoulders but that ankle, as well, as they look to send it to game seven.

HARRIS: Mark, get on the -- you just pitch. You just do your job. You get out there and pitch.

I got to ask you something, though, this is turning into a bit of a battle of attrition. Would these guys mind a rainout tonight?

MCKAY: I think that they wouldn't mind a rainout, although the weather people tell us that that might not be the case now, Tony. The heaviest of rains apparently moved through the New York area. We're left with -- it's not a meteorological term, but it's spitting rain here at Yankee Stadium at the moment.

The winds are a bit difficult, but the Yankees batting order -- the heart of the batting order could certainly use a break, Tony. They have really had a tough time since that game three blowout when they put 19 runs on the board. The middle of the order has gone basically three for 22 last night with only one RBI.

So, we all could use a break, a rainout, Tony. But when has it ever been about us?

HARRIS: Absolutely. Never about us. Mark, good to see you, good to talk to you. Stay dry.

MCKAY: You, too.

PHILLIPS: One more time: "Who's your daddy?"

HARRIS: "Who's your daddy?"

PHILLIPS: Who's the mama of the stock market? That's Rhonda Schaffler up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Rising prices and rising debts: How concerned is our Fed chief? Rhonda Schaffler with the latest from the New York Stock Exchange -- Randa (ph)? Rhonda -- sorry

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Close enough. That's OK. Better than the mama of all stock markets, which I...

PHILLIPS: Hey, there you -- see, I was getting a little nervous there. I'm like she's going to be really mad at me, or it's going to be OK.

SCHAFFLER: No, I'm never mad at you. But we've got to get on to this story, because it's something we worry about a lot, and that is all this debt we run up. What's it doing to our household?

Well, we might be worried, but Fed Chief Alan Greenspan apparently is not. He says the record level of household debt in the U.S. and its soaring home prices not serious threats to the economy. Greenspan made remarks before a community banking conference today. He stressed that households could handle the Fed's interest rate increases because most are in reasonably good shape financially and that very few are stretched to their limits.

U.S. household debt has ballooned in the last five years, and many economists say households will find it harder to handle their debt as the Fed increase interest rates. But Greenspan says most Americans are handling their debts well, and he sought to play down concerns about a housing market bubble.

Clearly no bubble here on Wall Street today. Healthcare stocks -- the big loser as the investigation widens into how insurance companies got contracts. Aetna, WellPoint, UnitedHealth Group, and others sliding better than five to 10 percent. That's putting pressure on the overall market. The Dow Industrials off 43 points. Nasdaq is also lower.

That is the very latest from Wall Street. Kyra, Tony, have a good day. See you tomorrow.

HARRIS: You, too.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, mama.

HARRIS: That's it? We're done?

PHILLIPS: That's it. I know. See how quickly that went?

HARRIS: You drive this thing. Yes, you do.

PHILLIPS: You've made it very fun, I've go to tell you. Well, it's time to get serious. Hard news -- stand by for hard news. Stand by for Wolf Blitzer. Hi, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra, Tony. Thanks very much.

If Nader voters were given the choice between just Bush and Kerry, who would they choose? Our Bill Schneider takes a closer look at impact Ralph Nader is having nationally and which candidate he will help more.

Plus, the Bush campaign kicking off a two-day NASCAR tour that will cover 14 events in four states. Today I'll speak live with a former driver, Darrell Waltrip, who is on the tour campaigning for the president.

"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Stories in the news now -- first, the flu shot shortage. As you saw live moments ago on CNN, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson says 2.6 million new doses of vaccine will be available in January for a total of 58 million. Meantime, the FDA is negotiating with Canada to obtain additional flu vaccine.

Two Spanish TV networks show grim footage of the Madrid train bombing seven months ago. A security camera above the platform -- wow -- captured two explosions, the second much more powerful than the first. Meantime, Spanish officials have announced the arrest of seven suspected terrorists. Police say the men were plotting to blow up Spain's national court building.

And in Baghdad, the Head of Care's aid effort in Iraq has been kidnapped. Margaret Hassan is seen in video broadcast on Al-Jazeera. She is a citizen of both Iraq and Britain who has lived in Iraq for 30 years.

Now, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS" with Wolf Blitzer.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired October 19, 2004 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And as we told you, the president is on a bus tour through Florida today -- that key battleground state. And right now, he is at The Villages Retirement/Vacation Community in The Villages, Florida. And the president is talking about Social Security, the same topics that Senator Kerry is talking about today -- Medicare and Social Security. And later today, the president will continue -- maybe another stop in Florida and then it's back to the White House at about 6:30.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And Tony, were you right? Is it the Nancy Lopez Golf Course?

HARRIS: It is. Yeah, she has a signature golf course there -- Nancy Lopez Signature Golf Course at The Villages. This is a great community.

PHILLIPS: The president might be teeing off after he talks.

HARRIS: Well, yeah, he's got a decent swing. Why not? I'm sure he won't have problems getting a tee time.

PHILLIPS: Also, something else we're following for you. Secretary Tommy Thompson expected to come up to the podium any moment now. As you know, the Health and Human Services secretary and other top health officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Veterans Administration will hold a massive news conference today regarding the flu and the flu vaccine.

Another note to add -- and this just coming into CNN -- we're told the FDA is in active negotiations right now with a Canadian manufacturer to obtain an extra one-and-a-half million doses of the flu vaccine. This was just confirmed not long ago. Health Canada also saying it was first contacted by the FDA back on October 12th, just a week after the British government barred Chiron Corporation -- as you know, that British-based company that made the flu vaccine from shipping 48 million doses of the vaccine to the U.S. due to contamination. We'll take this live event as soon as it happens.

PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, now in the news -- the government announces an increase in Social Security payments. The 2.7 percent cost of living adjustment adds $25 to the monthly check and affects more than 52 million retired or disabled Americans. The benefits are tied to the consumer price index and are in line with inflation.

A former Internal Revenue Service investigator returned to the witness stand in the Scott Peterson murder trial. The defense is presenting its case and trying to dispute the prosecution's theory Peterson stood to gain financially from the death of his wife Laci.

Two people on board a small plane killed when it crashed during a rainstorm in Atlanta today. The twin-engine Beech 55 crashed into an empty auto body shop just about 40 yards from the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. Nobody on the ground was injured.

HARRIS: Well, time is of the essence as George Bush and John Kerry hit battleground states in the countdown until the election. But how close is the race depends on whose numbers you believe. One poll has Bush leading by eight points, while another has them tied.

Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport is crunching the numbers for us in Princeton, New Jersey. And Frank, good to see you.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Good to see you, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, Frank, what explains the differences from poll to poll?

NEWPORT: Well, it's not unusual based on our experience to find some differences. One explanation -- or factor to look at -- is timing. In a campaign like this in the last two or three weeks, we're clearly going to see some differences almost on a day-by-day basis.

Our last CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, which had Bush up by three among registered voters and eight among likely voters was last Thursday through Saturday. And there may have been some reaction in there, for example, to the debate simmering through the Republicans based on perhaps the comments about Mary Cheney, hypothetically, that caused Republicans to do better. But maybe that's kind of worked its way through...

HARRIS: Frank -- we'll get back to Frank in just a couple of moments. But let's go now out and hear from U.S. Health and Services (sic) Secretary Tommy Thompson, who's going to give us an update on the flu vaccine supply in the country.

(BEGIN LIVE NEWS EVENT -- JOINED IN PROGRESS)

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: All the individuals have, the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Jim Loy, and also David Williams, Aventis chairman. I'm very happy that he's here. David Williams gave me some very good news today, what you're going to hear about in a few minutes. And also Damian Braga, who's the Aventis U.S. president. I thank both of those individuals.

And of course, on my right, we have the doctor for America, the Surgeon General Carmona -- Richard Carmona. The head of National Institutes of Health Elliott Sarhuni (ph), and Dr. Tony Fauci is with us, along with Dr. Les Crawford, and Scott McLellan who, of course, is another doctor. So, we got all the doctors here, as well. And Stuart Simonson (ph) who is a doctor of law. So, we've got the waterfront covered today. But all of these individuals have been working together as partners in developing plans dealing with flu. What we're doing today is we're going to make sure that we not only establish the partnership, but include this as an ongoing task force to make recommendations to the president, but also to Congress on how we can -- are able to attract more companies into the vaccination business, but also to make sure that we are able to continue to advise people about this flu problem we have in America.

From the moment that we learned about the loss of the Chiron vaccine, we responded swiftly -- and I want to underscore that, swiftly -- to prioritize vaccine supplies, redirect distribution to the people and to the places that need it most. And we're working very hard to expand our stockpiles of vaccine and anti-viral medicines.

In fact, we have been planning for an event such as this literally since we walked through the doors of HHS back in 2001. We knew that our flu vaccine manufacturing marketplace had withered for neglect for much of the '90s, and we began taking aggressive steps to reverse that environment, as well as prepare for challenges such as the one that we faced this year with a vaccine shortage.

But I will get more into the cause of this problem in our record of achievement in a moment.

First, I want to address the American people, and some of the more important steps that we're going to take to deal immediately with impact of the flu vaccine shortage. We understand, yours and the public's concern, about the loss of the Chiron flu vaccine supply. Removing this vaccine was a necessary step, however, that helped to be able to keep contaminated vaccine out of the arms of Americans. And this, of course, is the responsibility of this department, and specifically FDA, and they did it well.

But we want the public to know that we do have the ability -- we do have the ability to deal with the coming flu season and help protect people from the complications of this illness, particularly for those who are the most vulnerable. We have healthy supplies of anti-viral medicines and vaccines to help keep you safe from the flu and any complications that may come from the flu.

While we don't have as much flu vaccine as we planned for, the combination of the existing 60 million doses of vaccine and anti-viral medicines that can potentially treat 40 million more people gives us the ability to stave off the harsh effects of the flu this coming season.

In addition, the doctors up here, as well as our federal health officials, continue to encourage seniors to get the pneumococcal vaccine, which will help prevent a major complication of the flu, pneumonia. And if you get this year, it's good for several years thereafter. So, it's important for you to look at that option.

We want to also underscore that our supplies of medicines and vaccines so that people can keep the coming flu season in a healthy perspective. We need all of us to take a deep breath.

We've successfully worked through vaccine supply problems in the past, and we're doing so this time, as well. In particular, we don't want seniors standing in long lines waiting for the vaccine. This is unnecessary and may pose even greater health risk for some seniors than the flu. We're still in the early stages of the flu season, and millions more doses of vaccine will be shipped in the coming weeks -- approximately 24 million more doses of vaccine will be shipped over the course of the next several weeks. So, there's still time to get vaccinated.

So, let me update you on our supply. We expect to have 60 million doses of flu vaccine and FluMist nasal spray for the coming season. That's just slightly below the 62 million doses that were distributed just six years ago in 1998. The 60 million doses include, first off, Aventis Pasteur estimated that they could be able to give us 50 million doses, then they were able to increase that to 54 million doses. And if you remember when we made the announcement, they told us that they could increase it by an additional 1.4 million for a total of 55.4 million doses when we announced that the Chiron shipment was not coming.

I'm happy to be able to report that, today, David Williams called me and told me that, as we had been discussing for some time over the last couple weeks, that there is an additional 2.6 million doses available coming from Aventis Pasture which will not be ready until January. But it is an additional 2.6 million doses are for a total from Aventis Pasteur of 58 million doses. And you'd couple that with the two million doses of FluMist, and we have a total of 60 million doses of vaccine.

As you know, we continue to explore every option to obtain more vaccine also from other sources. We have ongoing negotiations today, as we have for some time, with our neighbors to the north, Canada. And they've indicated they have some, and our FDA is working with Canada as we speak. And hopefully we'll have a report for you in the relatively near future.

About half of the existing supply, however, has been distributed, and the CDC and Aventis now are working on distributing the remaining 24 million doses. So, more vaccine is on its way to communities. And we will shipping out approximately two-and-a-half to three million doses each and every week for the next seven weeks until we use it up. And then, the final dosage of approximately 2.6 million doses will be sent out on the first week in January.

So, as the CDC advises, please be patient, but also be persistent. We want to make sure that the flu...

HARRIS: That is U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson basically allaying some concerns and fears and also asking people not to panic and not to get into very long lines and search for flu shots and the vaccine. And I suppose the news that he made is that there is an additional two to six million doses of the vaccine being made available.

Let's get over to Kyra now for more on this.

PHILLIPS: That's right. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us now. You've also been monitoring this. A couple of points here that maybe you can talk about. First of all, the 2.6 million doses, the additional doses -- what does that mean, and does it have to happen before January?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what he said what that they would be -- what Secretary Thompson said is that Aventis Pasteur, which makes the flu vaccine, would be shipping out between two-and-a-half and three million doses -- or that two-and-a- half to three million doses per week will be coming out to American communities. That, of course, is good news.

Now, the trick here is when will flu strike? The secretary made a specific reference to more flu vaccine being available, for example, in January. Well, if like last year flu hits in December, that won't necessarily be very helpful. But to have a little bit at a time every week will, of course, be a good thing.

The trick is will it be distributed to the right people? I've certainly heard some stories of perfectly healthy people walking into their doctor's office saying, "Hey, I really want my flu shot," and getting it, even though technically they really shouldn't.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, I think it kind of depends where on you live and what your doctor has.

COHEN: And what your doctor is willing to do.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, that's true. The gift of negotiation, I guess, on that one. With regard to -- it sounded like seniors are definitely on the mind of Secretary Thompson. He mentioned the pneumococcal vaccine, which of course, in layman's term, you told me, the pneumonia vaccine.

COHEN: The pneumonia vaccine, right.

PHILLIPS: So, what was his theory there?

COHEN: That's very important for people, especially elderly people, to understand. Every winter, flu shots are offered to elderly people and also this pneumonia vaccine is offered. And that's just in case someone gets the flu, you don't also want them to get pneumonia, which would complicate things even further.

So, what the secretary was trying to say is even if you can't at this point find a flu vaccine, or even if you can, get the pneumococcal, get the pneumonia vaccine, because that's another thing you need to worry about. And so, this will at least help you with that complication of the flu should you get the flu.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now, of course, we're talking about the active negotiations going on with this Canadian manufacturer, the FDA talking about this and getting the vaccine from Canada. It also raises the question of Canadian prescription medicine and this whole import/export and the cheaper drugs over in Canada. OK, that's not going on, but yet now FDA is seeking...

COHEN: Right. It's confusing.

PHILLIPS: It's very confusion.

COHEN: ... don't go to Canada, don't get prescription drugs there. Now they're actively pursuing getting vaccines from Canada. And I guess the answer is when you don't have enough of something, you'll go to Canada to get it, right?

PHILLIPS: Go to other means.

COHEN: Right, exactly. And Health Canada says that their standards for vaccine are very similar to the standards in the United States, that it really is pretty much all the same product, the same flu that's going to hit the U.S. winter is going to hit Canada, also. And again, Health Canada says that their vaccine is made to the same safety specifications as the vaccine made in the United States.

I think that it's important to point out that even if the U.S. is successful at getting these 1.5 million additional doses, they're lacking 48 million doses from Chiron, that's the company where their production had to be shut down because of contamination issues.

So, is it a good thing to get 1.5 million extra doses? Of course it is. But still, you're looking at a 48 million dose deficit from Chiron, which they're now trying to make up, buy extra from other companies, a little bit from Canada. Little bit here and there is what they're trying to do.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

COHEN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Sort of sorted that out.

COHEN: Right.

PHILLIPS: Right. OK. We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Makes you think of the boys of summer, but this is fall ball we're talking about.

PHILLIPS: Boys of October.

HARRIS: Boys of October. Back and forth they batted and battled until this astronomical hit ended it all. Look at this. Jeff Kent hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning in last night's game, sending the Astros to a 3-0 win over the Cardinals. Houston is up three games to two in the National League series. The two teams will meet in St. Louis tomorrow for game six.

Meanwhile, Boston fans are asking "Who's your daddy now?" They put me on camera for that? This is the way you do things around here on LIVE FROM?

PHILLIPS: "Who's your daddy?" It's all about the fun.

HARRIS: Last night's Boston marathon between the Yanks and the Red Sox asking "Who's your daddy now?" after nearly six hours, setting a postseason record -- they won't put me on camera anymore -- and forced a game six and kept Boston's World Series hopes alive to see another day.

For more on the battle still brewing, here is CNN's Mark McKay -- Mark?

MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: How about "Who's your poppy?" That's who did all the damage the past two nights, Tony and Kyra. The Boston Red Sox, they have indeed answered the bell for game number six -- or round six, if you're looking at this as a heavyweight battle of the American League Championship Series.

We have a change of venue, from Fenway Park, we have come to Yankee Stadium in Boston (sic). The Red Sox come to the Bronx on an emotional high after playing a pair of heart-stopping games at Fenway. From the brink of elimination, David Ortiz almost single-handedly brought Boston back into the series by capping off back-to-back marathons with miracle finishes. Yes, New York still leads the series, but the Yanks are bewildered while the Red Sox continue to flirt with baseball history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY DAMON, RED SOX OUTFIELDER: I know they're in the magic place in Yankee Stadium, but you know, we've won ball games there and tomorrow would be a good time to win another.

GABE KAPLER, RED SOX OUTFIELDER: We do have a chance to make history. And whether we do it or not remains to be seen, but you know, we have all the dominoes in line and we feel like we have momentum on our side. We're ready to go over there and see what happens.

JOE TORRE, YANKEES MANAGER: If they had beat us up, you know, lopsided two games in a row, I'd say that's one thing. But these games back and forth, it was a matter of a pitch, a hit, a run. So, you know, sure the momentum's on their side, but I'm not sure it affected us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKAY: Now, if Boston is going to be the first team to even force a game seven in baseball's postseason, let alone win this series, they have to get a strong performance out of their starting pitcher Curt Schilling. Then again, with the Red Sox miracle theme these days, Schilling is a miracle in himself.

We didn't think we'd see him back in the postseason. He's been fitted with a special shoe to go against the Yankee hitters tonight. Tony, it is hoped that shoe will help the ankle that he has been bothered by. Red Sox hopes not only resting on his shoulders but that ankle, as well, as they look to send it to game seven.

HARRIS: Mark, get on the -- you just pitch. You just do your job. You get out there and pitch.

I got to ask you something, though, this is turning into a bit of a battle of attrition. Would these guys mind a rainout tonight?

MCKAY: I think that they wouldn't mind a rainout, although the weather people tell us that that might not be the case now, Tony. The heaviest of rains apparently moved through the New York area. We're left with -- it's not a meteorological term, but it's spitting rain here at Yankee Stadium at the moment.

The winds are a bit difficult, but the Yankees batting order -- the heart of the batting order could certainly use a break, Tony. They have really had a tough time since that game three blowout when they put 19 runs on the board. The middle of the order has gone basically three for 22 last night with only one RBI.

So, we all could use a break, a rainout, Tony. But when has it ever been about us?

HARRIS: Absolutely. Never about us. Mark, good to see you, good to talk to you. Stay dry.

MCKAY: You, too.

PHILLIPS: One more time: "Who's your daddy?"

HARRIS: "Who's your daddy?"

PHILLIPS: Who's the mama of the stock market? That's Rhonda Schaffler up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Rising prices and rising debts: How concerned is our Fed chief? Rhonda Schaffler with the latest from the New York Stock Exchange -- Randa (ph)? Rhonda -- sorry

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Close enough. That's OK. Better than the mama of all stock markets, which I...

PHILLIPS: Hey, there you -- see, I was getting a little nervous there. I'm like she's going to be really mad at me, or it's going to be OK.

SCHAFFLER: No, I'm never mad at you. But we've got to get on to this story, because it's something we worry about a lot, and that is all this debt we run up. What's it doing to our household?

Well, we might be worried, but Fed Chief Alan Greenspan apparently is not. He says the record level of household debt in the U.S. and its soaring home prices not serious threats to the economy. Greenspan made remarks before a community banking conference today. He stressed that households could handle the Fed's interest rate increases because most are in reasonably good shape financially and that very few are stretched to their limits.

U.S. household debt has ballooned in the last five years, and many economists say households will find it harder to handle their debt as the Fed increase interest rates. But Greenspan says most Americans are handling their debts well, and he sought to play down concerns about a housing market bubble.

Clearly no bubble here on Wall Street today. Healthcare stocks -- the big loser as the investigation widens into how insurance companies got contracts. Aetna, WellPoint, UnitedHealth Group, and others sliding better than five to 10 percent. That's putting pressure on the overall market. The Dow Industrials off 43 points. Nasdaq is also lower.

That is the very latest from Wall Street. Kyra, Tony, have a good day. See you tomorrow.

HARRIS: You, too.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, mama.

HARRIS: That's it? We're done?

PHILLIPS: That's it. I know. See how quickly that went?

HARRIS: You drive this thing. Yes, you do.

PHILLIPS: You've made it very fun, I've go to tell you. Well, it's time to get serious. Hard news -- stand by for hard news. Stand by for Wolf Blitzer. Hi, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra, Tony. Thanks very much.

If Nader voters were given the choice between just Bush and Kerry, who would they choose? Our Bill Schneider takes a closer look at impact Ralph Nader is having nationally and which candidate he will help more.

Plus, the Bush campaign kicking off a two-day NASCAR tour that will cover 14 events in four states. Today I'll speak live with a former driver, Darrell Waltrip, who is on the tour campaigning for the president.

"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Stories in the news now -- first, the flu shot shortage. As you saw live moments ago on CNN, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson says 2.6 million new doses of vaccine will be available in January for a total of 58 million. Meantime, the FDA is negotiating with Canada to obtain additional flu vaccine.

Two Spanish TV networks show grim footage of the Madrid train bombing seven months ago. A security camera above the platform -- wow -- captured two explosions, the second much more powerful than the first. Meantime, Spanish officials have announced the arrest of seven suspected terrorists. Police say the men were plotting to blow up Spain's national court building.

And in Baghdad, the Head of Care's aid effort in Iraq has been kidnapped. Margaret Hassan is seen in video broadcast on Al-Jazeera. She is a citizen of both Iraq and Britain who has lived in Iraq for 30 years.

Now, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS" with Wolf Blitzer.

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