WASHINGTON D.C. – The island nation of Cuba is facing a shortage when it comes to administering the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Tuesday, thanks to thousands of generous citizens, the United States is lending a hand.
Six million syringes of the coronavirus vaccine are on their way to Cuba after half a million dollars was donated, five times the goal of $100,000 that organizers had hoped to reach.
“The donations pouring in from Hialeah, from Miami from Fort Lauderdale from the places where Cuban Americans lives,” said organizer Medea Benjamin.
The vaccines should make a big difference for those in Cuba amid the pandemic and with the new Delta Variant spreading.
“These syringes will allow Cubans to continue to inoculate and vaccinate it’s population,” said Felix Sharpe-Caballero with the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign.
The donation comes on the heels of days of protests for the people of Cuba and a call for President Biden to help.
Cuba is also not working with an international organization, or NGA, that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday could, without fear of corruption, distribute doses.
“We would be happy to (send Cuba doses of the vaccine), we would love to get vaccines into the hands of the Cuban people. Cuba has not joined Covax,” she said.
This information coming as the White House ordered a review of US-Cuba policies.
A senior administration official said the US is actively pursuing measures that will both support the Cuban people and hold the communist regime accountable for violence, repression and human rights violations.
Representatives from the Embassy of Cuba in Washington D.C. pushed back though, blaming the embargo.
“The main cause for these difficulties are caused by again the 243 measures imposed by the past administration,” said Rodney Gonzalez with the Cuban Embassy.