Greece will inoculate more than 11,000 people living in refugee camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos
Greece has announced plan to vaccinate people living in refugee camps against Coronavirus (COVID-19), every Thursday and Friday from June 10, 2021.
The country will inoculate more than 11,000 people living in refugee camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos. However, this is still a small fraction of the total refuges that are in Greece. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are 91,945 recognised refugees in the country.
Greece is using the single-dose Janssen vaccine. The staff from the Hellenic National Public Health Organisation (NPHO), a legal entity of Private Law under the supervision of the Minister of Health, will be responsible for administering the jabs.
Speaking on the occasion, the Head of the Greece’s Doctors Without Borders (MSF) mission – Stephan Oberreit said, “The vaccination of refugees and asylum seekers residing on the Greek islands against COVID-19 has been long-awaited. We have been urging the Greek authorities to include this population in every step of the fight against COVID-19, so the vaccination is a very positive step.”
He further said, “MSF on Lesbos, in coordination with other medical actors and the national public health organisation, will be participating in the health promotion campaign taking place in Kara Tepe camp in the next few weeks.”
Besides, as per Government officials, only about 15% of asylum seekers living in Greece have expressed interest in receiving the vaccine. The Head of Reception of Asylum Seekers at the Migration and Asylum Ministry – Manos Logothetis believes that once the vaccination starts, a lot of refugees will change their mind and take vaccine.
Logothetis said, “They have shown interest, while many have acquired immunity because they tested positive for the coronavirus. Most were asymptomatic.”
Considering that an estimated 30% of this population is under 18 and another 30% have already been infected, the road to asylum seekers’ immunity is short and Greece is hopeful of succeeding.
Greece saw relatively few cases at the start of the pandemic but has struggled with subsequent waves and there has been a rush to vaccinate island residents before the summer months.
Meanwhile, Greece eased the lockdown restrictions from May 14, 2021. It also opened up the country for tourists. However, the rights groups have criticised the Government for opening up to visitors while keeping refugee camps in the country under lockdown.
Separately, Greece had started vaccinating its general public in January 2021. More than 5 million first shots have been administered across Greece, which has a population of approximately 10.7 million people.
