Issue 9: February 1, 2021
Staff
Xander Starobin: Co-Editor-in-Chief, Web Design
Avery Wang: Co-Editor-in-Chief, Layout
Maya Britto: Contributor, Communications
Diya Britto: Contributor, Social Media
Jade Xiao: Contributor
Julie Chen: Contributor
Marin Theis: Contributor
In this issue...
We're covering the accessibility of COVID-19 vaccines for refugees, the worsening spread of the coronavirus in refugee camps, and a climate-change induced humanitarian crisis in Somalia. We're also debunking two common refugee myths.
Countries Forced to Consider Refugees As They Develop COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies
By Julie Chen
According to a report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), roughly half of the 90 countries that are currently developing or implementing a COVID-19 vaccination strategy incorporate refugees in their plans. The UNHCR has been offering support to these countries by encouraging refugees to sign up for the vaccine and providing refugees with transportation to health care centers.
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Mike Woodman, a UNHCR senior public health officer, said in an interview with an editor at the UN Refugee Agency, “We are working with international partners to ensure that ‘leaving no one behind’ and ‘equitable access to vaccines’ are not just phrases, but practice.”
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In a statement from the UNHCR, Woodman emphasizes the impossibility of breaking or significantly decelerating the transmission of the virus without providing immunity to at least 70 percent of the population, including refugees. He further highlights the risks of excluding asylum seekers such as “consequences for their health, access to services, work, education and livelihoods, freedom of movement and freedom from discrimination.”
According to a report by the World Bank, many organizations adapted quickly to mitigate the dangers that vulnerable migrants face during this pandemic because they had well-established refugee registration and cash-delivery systems prior to COVID-19. Moreover, Woodman addressed the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine. He explained that in many nations' vaccination strategies, refugees in high priority groups such as the elderly or those with chronic diseases will be equally as prioritized in the administration of vaccines as native-born residents in the same groups.
In a press release from the UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, points out the drawbacks of the fact that developing countries host a vast majority of the world’s refugees. Since one of the currently approved vaccines must be stored in extremely low temperatures, many countries that host asylum seekers cannot use it. The current decentralized approach to vaccine distribution will also be challenging for low and middle-income countries. Grandi continues in the same interview, “The international community must do more to support host governments with access to the vaccines. Global and equitable access is what will ultimately protect lives and stem the pandemic.”
A recent initiative, COVAX, aims to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to people all around the world, regardless of their lives' circumstances. Launched by four major global health organizations, COVAX is a global collaboration that informs participating nations about a diverse portfolio of vaccines that are currently being developed and provides access to completed and approved vaccines. This effort can effectively assist less wealthy countries in acquiring the vaccines as they become available.
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During a press conference in the capital of Jordan, Health Minister Nathir Obeidat discussed the country’s intention of vaccinating 20 percent of its population against COVID-19 free of charge with their acquired three million doses of the vaccine. In order to distribute the vaccine, Wael Hayajneh, the Secretary-General of the Health Ministry for Epidemiological Affairs, announced that there will be 29 centers across Jordan for the vaccination initiative. According to a statement from the UNHCR, Jordan became one of the world’s first countries to include refugees and asylum seekers in their COVID-19 vaccination plans.
High Commissioner Grandi praised Jordan for their exemplary leadership in an interview with the UNHCR, commending the inclusion of “refugees in every aspect of the public health response to the pandemic, including the national vaccination campaign, [and] proving how it should be done if we are to keep everyone safe.” Raia Al Kabashi, a refugee who took the vaccine in Jordan, explains in an interview with the UNHCR, “I just want to be able to give my friends a hug again.”
International organizations such as the UNHCR, the IOM, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the CEPI, and the WHO are all cooperating to make the COVID-19 vaccine accessible to everyone, including refugees, and are supporting developing countries by providing medical care. These organizations’ support can give refugees like Raia hope. However, they need more funding to be successful. You can donate to help refugees obtain a COVID-19 vaccine at the websites below.
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Inadequate Funds, Cramped Spaces Challenge Refugee Camps Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
By Jade Xiao
According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 134 refugee-hosting countries reported COVID-19 cases as of August 2020. These countries, hosting approximately 85% of the world’s refugee population, are often developing, lower- to middle-income nations. With dense populations, inadequate funds for essential utilities and medical aid, and an unwillingness to receive testing, refugees in these nations are at extremely high risk for contracting and suffering complications from COVID-19.
In February 2020, the Princess Diamond cruise first proved the virus’ dangerous transmission rate in enclosed spaces, as it recorded 706 cases in 30 days after just one infected passenger boarded the cruise. The risks are even higher in refugee camps. In a report from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Senior Policy Advisor Marcus Skinner stated, “the rapid spread of COVID-19 on the Diamond Princess showed how the virus thrives in confined spaces, but for millions of displaced people, their conditions are far more cramped and poorly serviced and the risks are far deadlier.” The shortage of funds provides refugees with limited access to necessary resources, such as water, food, and sanitation. The overcrowded camps eliminate any possibility for self-isolation because the refugees share all shelters and hygiene facilities.
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Some refugees are unwilling to receive testing. In a report from UNHCR, Paul Spiegel, director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, stated, “if people worry about what will happen to them if they are found to be infected with COVID-19, that can discourage them to get tested.” Many refugees are also concerned about COVID-19 testing because of a lack of trust in their host country’s government.
A modeling study, published in PLOS Medicine on June 16, 2020, predicted the impact of a potential outbreak in the Kutupalong-Balukhali Expansion Site in Bangladesh. This refugee camp is the largest refugee camp in the world, holding 600,000 Rohingya refugees. The study stated that one introduction of the virus could potentially lead to between 421,500 and 589,800 cases 12 months after the first case occurred if the first case isn't identified quickly. The study also predicted between 2040 and 2880 deaths from COVID-19 within the camp in this scenario. The researchers concluded that an outbreak would require “large increases in healthcare capacity and infrastructure that may exceed what is currently feasible in these settings.”
According to an article from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), “the world could see up to 1 billion infections and 3.2 million deaths due to COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic in 34 crisis-affected countries”
Although no significant outbreak has occurred in a refugee camp as of January 2021, multiple camps have recorded positive cases. In a journal article published in the Annals of Global Health, Amit Barua and Rutu Hitesh Karia stated, as of July 12th 2020, the Kutupalong-Balubhai camp in Bangladesh recorded 5 COVID-related deaths and 57 cases. A statement from the United States Global Leadership Coalition recorded 32 cases in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh, and 240 cases in Lesbos, Greece after a fire forced the refugees to migrate from the Moira camp to Kara Tepe facility. According to a statement from Dominik Bartsch, a UNHCR Representative in Jordan, 5 refugees had tested positive in the Za’atari camp as of September 12, 2020. However, due to significantly limited testing, contact tracing, and overall healthcare capacity within refugee camps, these numbers are likely dramatically lower than the real numbers of positive cases at these camps.
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International and local aid organizations have rushed to provide medical treatments and prevent further transmissions. As of August 2020, the UNHCR had procured 23.9 million masks, 1.4 million medical gowns, and 2,000 oxygen concentrators. It has airlifted 3,200 refugee housing units, 12 metric tons of hospital tents, and 250 metric tons of PPE and medical items. Bartsch’s statement confirmed that “the Ministry of Health is conducting thousands of tests and has trained medical staff in the [Za’atari] camp” and that UNHCR is building quarantine, testing, and treatment centers in the Za’atari and Azraq Refugee Camps. UNHCR also transitioned the Bangladeshi camps to a registration system using registrants’ irises in their eyes, eliminating the high-risk finger-print system.
As the pandemic worsens, international support is critical to avoid a disastrous outbreak in a refugee camp. UNHCR seeks $745 million to assist refugees and host countries worldwide. In a UNHCR report, the High Commissioner Filippo Grandi states, “now is the time for action. We can prevent the disease from spreading. With your support, we can save lives.”
You can help refugees worldwide by donating to the following organization:
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Locust Infestation, Looming Famine, Strong Storms Threaten Somalia as a Result of Global Climate Change
By Maya Britto
Somalia is fighting three crises simultaneously--a desert locust infestation, a worsening hunger crisis, and a flurry of natural disasters that have laid waste to thousands of homes in the region. Each of these crises have been, in part, caused by climate change.
Though various refugee-aid organizations have attempted to provide basic shelter for displaced Somalis in the area, a lack of clean water and sanitary conditions coupled with congested living spaces increases the risk of exposure to diseases like cholera, and exacerbates the spread of COVID-19.
Tropical Storms, Cyclones, and Flash Floods
More than half a million Somalis have been displaced in the past year by various natural disasters. Warmer ocean temperatures caused by global climate change have contributed to an increase in cyclones and tropical storms. The most severe of these storms have had sustained wind speeds of over 115 miles per hour, and have brought more than 8 inches of rain to locations that regularly receive only two inches in an entire year’s time. According to a report from the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR), the region has faced 15 severe tropical storms and cyclones in only the last 35 years. Another report from the same source states that between January 2020 and August of the same year, more than 650,000 Somalis were driven out of their homes as a result of flash and riverine flooding.
Farmers and pastoralists represent more than 60% of the Somali population, and their livelihoods are the most threatened by drastic changes in weather conditions. According to a report from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), a humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO), more than 880,000 Somalis were displaced from their homes in 2018 because of violence and attacks, along with climate shocks like flooding and drought that endangered the livelihoods of over 500,000 Somali farmers and pastoralists.
Locust Infestation and Hunger Crisis
According to reports by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Desert Locust upsurge had increased in January of last year, following Cyclone Pawan’s landfall on December 7, 2019. Mature swarms and hopper bands of locusts have continued to storm areas of Somali that had received an influx of rain from Cyclone Gati in late November.
According to a report by the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian NGO, Desert Locusts are the world’s most dangerous migratory pests. In the last six months, the number of locusts has increased 400-fold in the region, and has jeopardized the livelihood of farmers and the food security of approximately 42 million people in Somalia, along with 9 other countries located in the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen. Statements by the same source emphasize the locust infestation’s contribution to famine, as swarms that occupy just one square kilometer “can eat the same food as 35,000 people in one day.” East African regions already house some of the most food-insecure populations in the world, and the situation has only been made worse by these desert locusts that attack food crops.
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Tropical storms and floods create wetter conditions which are more ideal for locust breeding, and swarms will only increase in size as the traditional wet seasons of April to June and October to December arrive. The current locust outbreak is the worst the East African region has experienced in 70 years. If the tropical storms and cyclones in the area continue to grow in frequency and severity, this outbreak is likely to worsen.
What You Can Do
Approximately 2.6 million Somalis remain displaced in and around the country. According to statements from the UNHCR, only 33 percent of the USD 154.4 million needed to support humanitarian efforts in Somalia has been collected. Climate change is the root cause of much of Somalia’s instability, and a global effort must be made to acknowledge and solve the disastrous effects of the worsening climate situation.
Aid the situation by donating to the organizations below and by encouraging your congressperson and senator to push for policies that will help solve the ongoing climate crisis and save countless people in Somalia and around the globe.
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Debunking Two MoreRefugee Myths: Security Concerns and Economic Burdens
By Xander Starobin
Myth 1: Refugees aren’t adequately screened for security concerns
The refugee security screening process is extremely thorough. In fact, refugees generally must wait about 2 years for the screening process to be completed. According to official documentation from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), multiple United States agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Bureau of Investigation each perform background checks of asylum seekers applying to immigrate to the U.S. These checks are much more thorough than traditional criminal background checks, as they examine travel history, biometric records, and any potential ways in which the applicant could pose a national security threat such as ties to an organization involved in terrorism.
USCIS officers conduct extensive, detailed interviews with refugee applicants as well. If refugees pass all pre-departure checks, they may still be subject to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) vetting upon arrival in the United States. In some cases, CBP may deny refugees entry and turn them back to the country from which they came.
Myth 2: Undocumented immigrants burden the economy by not paying taxes
Immigrants, documented or undocumented, pay sales taxes, consumer taxes such as those on gasoline or motor vehicle inspections, property taxes, and payroll taxes. A 2017 report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy notes that undocumented immigrants in the United States pay approximately 11.74 billion dollars each year in state and local taxes. Furthermore, a report from the U.S. Social Security Administration stated that undocmuneted immigrants and their employers paid roughly 13 billion dollars in payroll taxes in 2010, despite the fact that undocumented immigrants don’t have access to social programs such as welfare or food stamps.
José Iván Rodríguez-Sánchez, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Baker Institute, examined the economic benefits and costs of illegal immigrants in Texas in a 2020 research paper. Sánchez concluded that, indeed, the benefits outweigh the costs. According to his research, in fiscal year 2018, undocumented immigrants provided $1.21 in tax revenue for every $1 the state spent on public services for them.
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Note: The IHA published a similar article that debunked two other refugee-related myths in Issue 2 of our monthly newsletter. You can read it here, on our website.