The Devastating Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Ethnic Minorities, Migrants, and Refugees

Lydia Navarro-Román, Gustavo C. Román: The Devastating Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Ethnic Minorities, Migrants, and Refugees. In, El Alaoui Faris M., Federico A., Grisold W. (editors): Neurology in Migrants and Refugees, Chapter 13, Sustainable Development Goals Series, Springer Nature, Switzerland, 2021. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused excessive morbidity and mortality among ethnic minorities, migrants and refugees. The main reasons for this vulnerability include illegal status, chronic stress, poor working skills, low income, inadequate diet, no fixed address, crowded housing, cultural and linguistic barriers, no access to medical services and exclusion from relief measures. Workers of Black, Latino, Asian, and minority ethnic groups in the health industry, elderly care and essential service industries were disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2. The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) provide a useful framework to analyze this problem. The upstream root-causes include racism, discrimination, social policies and poverty; midstream causes are education, employment, housing, income, diet, toxic exposure, and access to health care; health-related issues are the downstream contributors that increase COVID-19 lethality. Massive migration creates extraordinary Public Health concerns during the current pandemic. Over 80 million men, women and children around the world were forced to flee their homes from armed conflicts, political and economic disarray in Africa, Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Europe, USA, Colombia and Brazil. In 1978, the WHO at Alma-Ata affirmed the need for “Health for All”. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided evidence that this principle still stands. Governments have responsibilities during a health emergency such as the current pandemic and must join a concerted United Nations effort to reach peaceful solutions to the numerous armed conflicts. The first step for the UN Sustainable Development Goals to become a reality is by pledging international monetary institutions to provide post-war recovery plans to solve this humanitarian catastrophe.