What do you mean "No?"Is the price of the vaccine allowed to increase until the market clears?

Don't bother. Some people are immune to reason.

Don't bother. What surplus some people have in passion is compensated by a comparable shortage in reason.

I didn't get a flu shot. I got one last year, and got the flu (different strain) two months later. Sure enough, this strain doesn't seem to be the one I would have been innoculated against. I'm glad I didn't bother. I would have been sick for two days and still been at the same chance of catching it.The whole thing is irrational anyways. Most of the people scrambling to use up all the vaccine are people who aren't in mortal danger. Only those with already marginal immune systems (like the children, chronicly ill and elderly) are in serious danger.

dof:By "no," I mean the shortage has nothing to do with economics at all.

If consumers behave irrationally, short term shortage may occur. There's two major options here:allow the price of vaccine to increase vs ration the vaccine and distribute it preferably to those at risk.Increasing the price is good for GDP growth but bad for the number of fatalities. Rationing may save the most lives, but may reinforce the same bad behaviour next year. If the government has to spend money at all, a campaign to encourage those at risk to preorder the vaccine seems the best solution here. If those that do not preorder, but wait until the epidemic hits are made to pay a surcharge, they might very wel learn from their mistake and correct their behaviour in subsequent years.

Increasing the price is good for GDP growth but bad for the number of fatalities.

Statistics vs. quality of life, right?

If consumers behave irrationally

They do, all the time. That's the point.Humans are not rational actors. They are patterned actors. Human behavior is biologically initiated, structured, repetitive…but even when reason is invoked it is not reasoned.

> Statistics vs. quality of life, right?Sorry, but that's a shade too glib for me. Why do you suppose we have this huge migration from countries with low GDP/capita to countries with high GDP/capita?

Why do you suppose I will think that reason has any bearing on price increases being good for GDP growth but bad for the number of fatalities?

I think it is a travesty in an age where the argument in the political arena is surrounding the issue of health care reform and where and when we should use this country's assetts to their best advantage that we can't seem to realize that the ability of the country to meet its own needs is limited by the ability of its citizens to get out and earn a living, something that will not be happening if they (the common working person) is home with the flu! If we are worried, as has been suggested by our own government, that the terrorists of the world could cause a major problem by using such things as Anthrax and Small Pox, shouldn't we consider the impact of something as simple and predictable as the flu bug? I think if the terrorists want to bring the country down, all they will need to do is say that there might be a shortage so we will beat the tar out of our neighbors to get to whatever might be in short supply! If you are graced with good health, I am fighting cancer and have an IV line in my neck at this point, stay home and eat, sleep and live in a way that minimizes your exposure. If you, like me have a real need, you will find that it will either become available or it won't. If I can't get a vaccine I guess my xmas shopping will be done by catalog and I will have my groceries delivered. I guess with the level of technology, we take for granted thsat we will always have what we needinstead of remembering that we are our own best defense by taking care of ourselves, limiting our exposure and seeing to it that those who do have the flu take it upon themselves, like people took it upon themselves for generations when dealing with contagions, to stay in so as not to spread the virus. If common sense can't and doesn't prevail in the event of a health crisis, where oh where will we be as a people and a government in the event of a real health EMERGENCY!

Seriously, in your situation you should get the vaccine. I'm "merely" an insulin dependant diabetic and I could get it if I so chose. I don't because I haven't gotten the flu since I was a kid...maybe not ever, it may have been a nasty cold.

But there's really nothing I can add to your comment. Nothing I can add at all.