Responding to the Impact of COVID-19 on Refugees

The concern for refugee populations and their risk to preventable diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic is high. Refugee camps are home to concentrated groups of people with limited access to health services – making the spread of disease easy but the delivery of treatments difficult. Existing vaccines offer vulnerable populations a critical piece of preventative medicine, especially to children who suffer most during a humanitarian crisis. Disease modeling and humanitarian health experts at JHU will discuss what impact COVID-19 will have in terms of infections and outcomes in refugee camps, and the response needed to protect children with routine immunizations and a potential COVID-19 vaccine.