WASHINGTON – The Pentagon yesterday said it is putting on hold a plan to give Covid-19 vaccines to terror detainees at Guantanamo, following an outcry as the United States struggles to deliver jabs to front-line workers and vulnerable elderly Americans.
“No Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated,” tweeted Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
“We’re pausing the plan to move forward, as we review force protection protocols. We remain committed to our obligations to keep our troops safe.”
The navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, houses detainees in the US “war on terror”, including top al-Qaeda figure and alleged 9/11 attack planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The Defence Department told US media earlier in the week that it would offer vaccines to its detainees and prisoners, to be administered “on a voluntary basis”.
Backlash came from Republican lawmakers, including the party’s top congressman, Kevin McCarthy.
“President (Joe) Biden told us he would have a plan to defeat the virus on Day 1. He just never told us that it would be to give the vaccine to terrorists before most Americans,” he tweeted.
New York congressman Elise Stefanik added: “It is inexcusable and un-American that President Biden is choosing to prioritise vaccinations for convicted terrorists in Gitmo over vulnerable American seniors or veterans.”
The US has been the world’s hardest-hit country by the coronavirus pandemic in absolute terms, with 436,000 deaths and nearly 26 million cases.
Biden has pledged to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 days in office, but so far, the country’s mass inoculation drive has been beset by stumbles, including a shortfall in vaccines and widespread technical difficulties for eligible Americans trying to make appointments.
According to health officials, the US has so far administered just under 30 million of the nearly 50 million doses distributed nationwide. – AFP, January 31, 2021
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