UNHCR MENA COVID-19 Emergency Response Update #19 (1 – 31 May 2021)

1 – 31 May 2021

Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, Yemen, and Turkey*

Regional Developments

Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, refugees in 15 countries have already started receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. These countries in MENA are among 91 countries of the 162 countries worldwide monitored by UNHCR where refugees are receiving vaccinations. UNHCR is calling on States to remove barriers for refugees and asylum-seekers to access vaccines. Hurdles for people of concern include a lack of identity documents, vaccination sites being far from where refugees live, the real or perceived cost of vaccine services, technology barriers, language barriers, as well as the lack of information, misinformation and limited opportunity to ask questions. In Jordan, successfully, a third of camp-based refugees eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine (some 13,500 and which excludes children under the age of 18 and pregnant women) have already received at least their first dose of the vaccine in the refugee camps, with the number of vaccinated refugees having more than tripled during May. Refugees living in urban areas and cities in Jordan have also been receiving their COVID-19 vaccine through the Ministry of Health’s programme.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees