White House: No H1N1 Vaccine at Guantanamo

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Domestic Issues

5371603White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs denied today that terrorism suspects in the prison at Guantanamo Bay are receiving vaccinations for the H1N1 flu.

"There is no vaccine in Guantanamo, and there's no vaccine on the way to Guantanamo," Gibbs said during his daily press briefing.

Amid a shortage of the vaccine, the Miami Herald first reported last week that the Pentagon would offer the vaccine to the Guantanamo prisoners.

A military spokesman confirmed the report. Army Maj. James Crabtree said the vaccine would arrive at the prison this month and first go to guards. It would then be offered to inmates "entirely on a voluntary basis."

"I don't know what the Pentagon said," Gibbs said today. "I know, in asking yesterday, whether or not there was any vaccine there or whether there was any vaccine that was on its way, the answer to both those questions was no."

CBSNews.com Special Report: H1N1

Gibbs added that the White House did not stop the Pentagon from shipping the vaccine to the prison -- "there wasn't any there, and there wasn't any on the way," he said.

Only 28 million doses of vaccine were available by the end of the October, rather than the expected 40 million doses, presidential adviser David Axelrod said on CBS Nrews' Face the Nation.

"We will have all the vaccine we need in very order," Axelrod said.

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by mollydtt November 4, 2009 12:52 PM EST: The same misinformation was published here in Austin last week. There was an article in the local newspaper about how the prisoners were going to receive H1N1 vaccine.
It was pure hype--a way to whip people into a frenzy, make them foam at the mouth, scream away...

The real truth was that (like every other agency) the prison system had ordered H1N1 vaccine. Did the have any? No. Were they going to get it before the general public? No.

But, boy, if you publish a newspaper, you need to find something sensational, so this whole "inmates first" thing is getting old.; Reply to this comment


by stn_sage November 3, 2009 6:17 PM EST: If ever there were a direct way to show CONTEMPT and DISRESPECT toward the public...this is it!

Inoculate the extremist, Islamic P.O.W.s first over the American public!
THAT, will cost the Democrats some votes next year alright!

Yes, I know Mr. Gibbs 'said' they weren't going to do that...but his 'word' is about as reliable as an 'umbrella in a hurricane'!; Reply to this comment