PETER JACKSON
The Telegram

Imagine Canada was the Titanic. And imagine provincial health departments were the crew. Imagine the H1N1 "swine flu" virus was an iceberg, and the H1N1 vaccinations were lifeboats.

When the crew shouted, "Pregnant women and high-risk children first," would there have been much voluntary compliance?

Judging from the past week, the answer is no.

The worst thing about last week's vaccine free-for-all is that this wasn't the Titanic. There is no iceberg. H1N1, while highly contagious, does not seem to be more deadly than other flu bugs. The difference is the most susceptible people are young adults. The province recorded its first death from swine flu on the weekend: a 36-year-old woman in the central region who had pre-existing health problems.

It's true the spread of the disease is alarming. Schoolchildren are falling like dominoes. The societal disruption and the strain on health-care services are big concerns.

It's a dire situation, yes, but it's not a disaster. And it's not, as Maclean's magazine blared last month, a "fiasco."

Health issues have a sort of built-in sensationalism. If people feel there's a threat to their own physical well-being, they tend to react with a modicum of panic. It's why health is always cited as the No. 1 topic readers want more of from the media.

It's the media's responsibility, therefore, to present as clear and as factual a picture as possible, without overstating or downplaying the significance.

So, when I saw the Oct. 19 issue of Maclean's magazine, I was dumbfounded. There, on the front page, in big black letters against a red background, were the words "SWINE FLU FIASCO." Turn to the article inside and the words are there again, white on black. Above is a murky photograph of doctors milling about ominously in full protective gear - white suits, caps, masks and gloves.

Hollywood could not have staged a better killer virus scenario.

In this province - and evidently in other provinces, as well - the rollout of the vaccine has not been without problems. But most of those problems originated with the public.

I can't count the number of times I've heard someone say, "How do I know where to go?" or "How do I know whether I qualify?"

The answer? Pay attention. Read the paper, go online, watch the TV news or listen to the radio. Barring that, ask someone who does.

On Friday, The Telegram had, along with a front page story, three dedicated pages of H1N1 coverage. Information on The Telegram's website is continually updated. The same is true of broadcast media. On Friday evening, Health Minister Jerome Kennedy called the NTV newsroom and went live on air during the station's supperhour newscast. Within minutes, he was live on CBC's Here and Now.

People who complain about a lack of information or poor planning don't know what they are talking about. The public has been swamped with information. For the most part, it's been fairly balanced and straightforward.

Handling a pandemic is not exactly a cakewalk. Despite best-laid plans, viruses are unpredictable. The vaccine was developed swiftly, but it could not be rushed. And the virus had already made its comeback before a supply of the vaccine could be rolled out.

Yes, a few mistakes have been made. Federal officials underestimated the amount of vaccine needed. And plans are often changing on the fly. You could call the latter evidence of mistakes, but it's primarily a matter of officials thinking on their feet and adapting to a fluid situation.

The one mistake officials certainly did make, however, is thinking this was 1912 and that healthy passengers would stand back and let the more vulnerable pile into the lifeboats.

Not today. It's everyone for himself. And try not to knock over that sick person on your way to the front of the line.

So now, they're culling the lines and sending healthy people home. It's too bad it had to happen, but people are people, and anarchy is always just a panic button away.

Peter Jackson is The Telegram's commentary editor. He can be contacted at pjackson@thetelegram.com.