Lebanon vaccine rollout excludes refugees, migrants

Lebanon’s vaccine rollout is at risk of marginalizing refugees and migrant workers who make up a third of the crisis-hit country’s population

In February, Lebanon started a mass vaccination campaign that Health Minister Hamad Hassan said would cover everyone living in the country regardless of their nationality.

It aims to cover 80 percent of the population by the end of the year but the rollout has been slow.

Citing data collected by the United Nations, it warned that “Syrian and Palestinian refugees have died from Covid-19 at a rate more than four and three times the national average, respectively,” and urged authorities to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines.

Lebanon says it hosts more than 1.5 million Syrians, nearly a million of whom are registered as refugees with the UN.