The Pentagon announced that it is temporarily suspending the planned vaccination of Guantanamo prisoners against covid-19 after the storm that arose due to the shortage of vaccines for health workers and for elderly and vulnerable American citizens.
"None of the Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby tweeted.
"We are suspending the implementation of the plan to review the protocols. We will remain committed to fulfilling our obligations to protect our forces," he added.
The US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is for prisoners linked to the "war on terror", including Pakistani Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
At the beginning of Sunday, the US Department of Defense announced that it will offer a vaccine against the coronavirus to Guantánamo prisoners who want to be vaccinated.
American lawmakers immediately rose to their feet, including Republican Kevin McCarthy.
"President Biden told us he has a plan to defeat the virus (...) He didn't tell us he would give the vaccine to terrorists before most Americans," he wrote on Twitter.
Rep. Alice Stefanik added: "It is unforgivable and contrary to the American spirit that President Biden gives preference to terrorists in Guantanamo, instead of older Americans and war veterans, in vaccination," reports Hina.
With almost 26 million infected and 436.000 deaths, the United States suffered the worst in the world from the coronavirus pandemic.
President Biden promised that in the first hundred days, the authorities would allow the vaccination of 100 million Americans, but this is not going smoothly due to technical difficulties and vaccine shortages.
US health officials announced that of the 50 million doses distributed across the country, less than 30 million were used.
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