Health
As vaccine roll-outs are bringing back hope that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic might be in sight, too many migrants remain excluded from national deployment and vaccination plans (NDVPs), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has observed.
It said on its website that although the number of vaccinations globally has overtaken reported COVID-19 infections, only a quarter of NDVPs submitted to the COVAX Facility include migrants.
“The United Nations Network on Migration calls on States to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to vaccines for all and the inclusion of migrants, regardless of their status, in their national COVID-19 vaccination programmes and other public health interventions,” IOM said.
It said affordable, non-discriminatory access to vaccines is a human right.
“For everyone to be safe, governments must particularly ensure the vaccination of all high-risk individuals, including migrants in vulnerable situations, within their territories, and base vaccine eligibility and prioritisation on public health considerations without discrimination.
IOM noted that migrants in irregular situations are particularly at risk of being left behind.
It said States must ensure that firewalls are erected between health service providers and immigration authorities to ensure their safe access to vaccines and other essential health services.
“Excluding them or other non-nationals from COVID-19 vaccination plans and programmes carries the risk of transmission in these communities, with spillovers into the entire population.
“COVID-19 has exacerbated gaps not only within but also between countries and has highlighted the urgent need for international cooperation by States and all actors to tackle the pandemic in a spirit of global solidarity and shared responsibility.”
It said vaccines should be allocated fairly and equitably and considered global common goods, not marketable commodities, warning that isolationist health policies anywhere will only continue to pose a threat everywhere.
(PANA/NAN)
-Mar 4 2021 @ 5;54pm
Tags: Coronavirus: Equitable access to vaccines should leave no migrant behind – IOM
