Rocky weekend in US for jabs after protests and Guantanamo reversal

People in wheelchairs are directed by a volunteer to a waiting area after getting a COVID-19 vaccine at Lincoln Park in Los Angeles, California on Jan 28, 2021. (FREDERIC J BROWN / AFP)

The US coronavirus vaccine landscape was rocked by controversy over the weekend as a group in Los Angeles disrupted a vaccination site, while the Pentagon walked back a plan to vaccinate detainees at Guantanamo Bay, including the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, houses some 40 detainees in the US war on terror, including top al-Qaida figure Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged planner of the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks

Anti-vaccination protesters carried signs on Saturday outside a vaccination site at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, that read "Save your soul, turn back now", "Take off your mask", and "Recall Gavin Newsom" referring to the state's governor.

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez tweeted on Saturday: "Unbelievable. If you don't want the vaccine fine, but there are millions of Angelenos that do. 16,000 of your neighbors have died, so get out of the way."

The Los Angeles Times reported that the stadium temporarily shut down on Saturday because dozens of protesters blocked the entrance, stalling hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours.

Officials say the Los Angeles Fire Department shut the entrance to the vaccination center at Dodger Stadium about 2 pm as a precaution. The protesters had members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups. There were no incidents of violence.

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By Monday, California had more than 3.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 40,900 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University showed. The US had more than 26.1 million cases with more than 441,300 deaths.

The US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, houses some 40 detainees in the US war on terror, including top al-Qaida figure Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged planner of the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

An order signed last week by Terry Adirim, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said vaccines would "be offered to all detainees and prisoners" at Guantanamo.

But on Saturday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby tweeted: "No Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated. 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."

Thomas Von Essen, who was New York City's fire commissioner during 9/11, told the New York Post: "You can't make this up. The ridiculousness of what we get from our government."

Giving out vaccines

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California tweeted: "President 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."

A top infectious disease expert said on Sunday the US needs to rush giving out the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine before an anticipated "Category 5" hurricane-like surge in cases.

Michael Osterholm, who was an adviser to Joe Biden's transition team, said Sunday that even one dose could lessen the impact of an outbreak driven by new virus strains.

"We still want to get two doses in everyone, but I think right now, in advance of this surge, we need to get as many one-doses in as many people over 65 as we possibly can," Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told NBC's Meet the Press.

The Biden administration is reportedly searching for 20 million doses of vaccine, which were sent to states and have been unaccounted for, a report on news portal Politico said.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has distributed almost 50 million doses to the states, but only a little more than 31.1 million have been administered.

Data released on Sunday said white New Yorkers have received the vaccine at a 4-to-1 ratio compared with black recipients, and a 3-to-1 ratio compared with Asian and Hispanic recipients.

"The information we do have shows a clear disparity," said Mayor Bill de Blasio during a City Hall news briefing on Sunday.

"What we see is a particularly pronounced reality of many more people from white communities getting vaccinations than folks from black and Latino communities. "We've got a profound problem of distrust and hesitancy, particularly in communities of color," the mayor said.

Agencies contributed to this story.

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