A Case of Vaccine Discrimination - The Situation of Refugees and Their Access to the Covid-19 Vaccine

Opinion Policy Analysis by Annabelle Ghanem, Contributor

The Covid-19 pandemic has crippled economies along its prolonged path, leaving 85% of the current world refugee population living in nations now classified as low and middle income countries. This has had tremendous effects on the livelihoods and overall survival of refugees throughout this pandemic, ranging from lack of Covid-19 measures and protocols being put in place within camps, to limited access of medical supplies and personnel, and above all, a drastic decrease to the already low salaries being received by refugees. Unfortunately, these circumstances were not enough to place a certain sense of priority, or even mere consideration, towards the refugee population, with many of the world’s nations failing to include refugees in their countrywide vaccination plans.