Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in different camps who were at high risk of contracting Covid-19 claimed that they were left out of Covid-19 vaccination exercises in Uganda.
Earlier, World Visionreported that,amongst 8 countries, including Uganda, warned that Covid-19 wasby then surging in lower income countries that did not have the resourcesneeded to contain the virus and protect their own populations.
Despite identifyingrefugees as a priority group and targeting them as part of the national vaccinerollout, Uganda was among the nations struggling to climb the vaccination ladderand whose health systems were by then overwhelmed due to another wave of thepandemic.
With just about1,000,000 of its own citizens vaccinated, the country was still constrained tocover the 1.4 million refugees. Only 500 refugees outof 1,914 surveyed in Uganda, Brazil, Colombia, DRC, Jordan, Peru, Turkey andVenezuela had received a Covid-19 vaccine, yet almost half of them said they werewilling to take the vaccine if it was available to them.
“With less than 45% ofUgandans vaccinated, it is a challenge to reach the refugees, but extra effortmust be made to prioritise the refugees because they face the highest risk fromCovid-19 especially given the confined space they live in and the communalfacilities they share,” said Mary Njeri, the Refugee Response Director at WorldVision Uganda.
The report indicatedthat, higher income countries were vaccinating their populations 25 timesfaster than nations with lower incomes and have ensured that their mostvulnerable people were protected. World Vision said they must now secure thesame protection for the world’s most vulnerable.
“The Covid-19 vaccinerace has exposed an ever-growing health gap between the world’s ‘haves’ and‘have notes,” the report noted.
The survey showed 68%of the respondents had not even heard of plans for vaccinations in theircommunities, 47% thought they were not eligible or did not know they were.
It also indicated that40% felt that children in the community were less safe while 68% said theycould not meet healthcare needs. Last week at the G7,world leaders pledged to donate one billion Covid-19 vaccines to the world’smost vulnerable.
World Vision called ondonor governments to ensure that this pledge turns into a reality and to secureequitable access to the vaccine for forcibly displaced people as a priority.
Despite more than 190countries committing to COVAX, an initiative which aims to deliver 2 billionvaccine doses for at least 20% of the most vulnerable and high risk-groups bythe end of 2021, deliveries are both underfunded and delayed.
“No one will be safeuntil everyone is safe. There will be no global recovery without inclusive,fair, and equitable access to vaccines, diagnostic equipment, and medicine,”Njeri said.
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