Rohingya refugees receive first COVID vaccinations in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, Education, Help Refugees, Human Rights, Myanmar, Refugees Issues, Religious Rights

The agency welcomed the start of the vaccination drive, in line with national authorities’ broader public health efforts, which began on Tuesday.

“The first step in fully protecting communities…is through the rollout of vaccination[s]”, said Johannes Van Der Klaauw, UNHCR’s Representative in Bangladesh.

Fair distribution

UNHCR stressed that when allocating the vaccines, the equitable inclusion of Rohingya refugees is critical to curbing the spread of the deadly disease.

The drive is being led by the Bangladesh authorities with technical support from UNHCR, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other humanitarian partners.

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“We are grateful to the Government of Bangladesh for having included Rohingya refugees in the vaccination campaign”, said Mr. Van Der Klaauw.

The complex Rohingya refugee crisis erupted in August 2017, following attacks on remote police outposts in western Myanmar by armed groups alleged to be from within the community. These were followed by systematic counter attacks against the minority, mainly Muslim Rohingya, which human rights groups, including senior UN officials, have said amounted to ethnic cleansing.

Frontline efforts

Thousands of refugee and host community volunteers have taken the lead, working to fight the on-going pandemic since it began, by informing refugees about health and hygiene, monitoring signs of illness, and connecting the refugee community with critical health services, according to UNHCR.