Will the COVID-19 vaccine ever reach forcibly displaced populations?

Efforts are underway to accelerate the development and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the emphasis so far being on highlighting equity in distribution among countries. While COVID-19 has a disproportionately greater impact on certain populations, including forcibly displaced populations, it is often politically untenable to say that this group should be given priority when it comes to planning vaccination campaigns.

Seroprevalence studies show suboptimal immunity to various vaccine-preventable diseases among refugees, and lower vaccination coverage of these groups compared with local host populations has also been observed. In addition, there are specific barriers—informal (language, access to information and culture) and economic and administrative that prevent them from spontaneously accessing immunization campaigns. What does this mean for the COVID-19 vaccine reaching forcibly displaced populations? How can access be guaranteed? What are the ethical issues? How will logistics be dealt with in humanitarian settings? Join Professor Heidi Larson and select panelists as they discuss this critical and disputed issue.