DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s government and humanitarian groups began vaccinating Rohingya refugees on Tuesday, as a virus outbreak raises health concerns in the huge, overcrowded camps where more than 1 million Myanmar refugees have sought sanctuary.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, a nationwide positive rate of about 30% suggests that COVID-19 is spreading considerably faster, especially given the tight conditions and hazards that many individuals living in refugee camps confront.
According to a statement from the international organization, some 500 Bangladesh Red Crescent personnel and volunteers joined the health professionals for the campaign, which was organized in conjunction with the United Nations Refugee Agency.
“COVID-19 has made its way throughout the globe. As he waited for vaccinations with hundreds of other refugees in a camp at Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar, Nurul Islam, 65, said, “We came here to get vaccinated for our protection so that it would not hurt us.”
According to experts, the true death toll may be underestimated because many individuals do not go to hospitals, and many more died before being tested. Infections from the delta variety have spread over the country’s wide border regions with India, raising fears that a lack of understanding about masks and other health standards might lead to a worsening COVID-19 scenario in the densely populated nation.
Only around 5% of the 160 million individuals in the nation are properly immunized. The original campaign was halted in April when India halted exports of AstraZeneca vaccines to Bangladesh, which had signed a 30-million-dose purchase deal.
The country currently has a strong supply of vaccines, primarily from Sinopharm in China. Over 3 million individuals were reportedly shot in the first two days of the new campaign, according to officials.
Rapes, murders, and the torching of thousands of homes were all part of the 2017 crackdown, which was dubbed ethnic cleansing by international human rights organizations and the United Nations. While Bangladesh and Myanmar have attempted to organize repatriations, the Rohingya have expressed their unwillingness to return home.