San José. – If US governments resist resisting vaccinating millions of irregular migrants living and mobilizing in the Western Hemisphere against coronavirus, America will lose the war against Covid-19, warned the Macedonian Alexander Arnikov, a specialist in public health and epidemiology at the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
As the ILO’s health and migration specialist for America, Arnikov said it was “unacceptable” to exclude illegal migrants from inoculation, or the 12 million who are in US or the 6 million Venezuelans and thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Central Americans, Africans and Asians who live or roam the borders and urban and rural areas of Mexico and the rest Latin America and the Caribbean.
If a country refuses to apply the drug to foreigners, simply because they lack a document showing them the normality of migration, the injured will be the citizens and other inhabitants of that nation who will be exposed to people without being vaccinated so that they can spread. , he explained in an interview with universal.
What is the danger of refraining from vaccinating illegal migrants?
—The risk does not come because they are irregular, it comes because there is a dangerous option if not all migrants are included in immunization campaigns. This is the worst danger. It is unacceptable that the most affected are always those in an irregular situation, in conflict, in poverty, those displaced by natural disasters or conflicts. All these groups must have equitable access to immunization services.
Prior to the disease, migrants were more vulnerable due to language, cultural, political or social barriers that made it difficult for them to access healthcare and have now become greater due to xenophobia, stigmatization and exclusion. Many migrant workers lost money and were left in a difficult situation.
Colombia decided this month to vaccinate 1.8 million Venezuelans who have already migrated to the country and those entering the next two years. What does this message mean for other nations that receive migrants, regardless of nationality?
“It’s a great initiative to respond.” [a la crisis sanitaria]. It is an excellent example that other countries can consider. It is very important to include all groups of migrants in vaccination campaigns. If governments make such decisions to include migrants [en la vacunación], will be a step forward to regularize its general condition. We must understand that we are all in this situation, without exception.
Yes, no one can leave the world …
-[Ríe] Sure, everyone, without exception. That is why we need to have inclusive vaccination campaigns, taking into account all categories and, in particular, the most vulnerable.
If we are not all included, this pandemic will stay with us much longer than we want.
This is a very critical moment: we need to wake up and accept that migration is a daily process, that it is with us from the beginning and will be there forever.
And how to finance the vaccination of illegal migrants in countries such as Latin America and the Caribbean in conditions of economic crisis?
—For this we have the Global Access Fund for Covid-19 Vaccines [COVAX, por sus siglas en inglés], an international public and private alliance to have a more equitable distribution and access to vaccines. With the Covax initiative, many countries have started vaccination. We have no other solutions, but we have to find them.
Can there be a negative reaction when the citizens of a country see that migrants are vaccinated before many of their compatriots?
“If we don’t include everyone in the vaccination, we will lose the battle against the pandemic.” That’s for sure. There must be clear and key messages from governments to rule out xenophobia, stigmatize migrants and for the community to understand the need to incorporate everyone.
The reality is that health is a right.
– Everyone’s right. It does not matter if we are in a regular or irregular situation: we all have the right to health, to life. It is one of the fundamental rights and we cannot change it. Governments must be reminded that this epidemic is extraordinary and that the importance of the right to health is one of the few fundamental rights we all have. We are all equal before this right, whether they are migrants, refugees, deprived of their liberty, displaced people. If we are not all vaccinated, we will lose the battle and have the virus for much longer than we want.
Illegal migrants from the United States may fear that if they are to be vaccinated, they may be detained and deported. Is it a real risk?
-It is real. Many fear not only vaccination, but also access to health services, which may be limited by this fear. It’s a real fear. Not all countries are in favor of migrants.