Abstract

MIGRANTS, ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES AT THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19: A HIGHLY VULNERABLE KEY POPULATION IN PANDEMIC TIMES

Paulo Roberto Blanco Moreira Norberg*, Fernanda Castro Manhães, Alcemar Antônio Lopes de Matos, Renato Mataveli Ferreira Filho, Claudia Maria Blanco Moreira Norberg, Milena da Costa Cruz, Bianca Magnelli Mangiavacchi and Antonio Neres Norberg

ABSTRACT

Human mobility has been associated with the spread of infectious diseases across continents for centuries. Among the groups most affected by pandemics are migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. These groups historically presented disparities in health and socioeconomic determinants comparative to the general population, and the pandemic of COVID-19 amplified and turned these inequalities more evident. This manuscript aims to examine the current scientific literature to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. This key population had a high risk of infection and mortality due to COVID- 19. Migrants from countries with a low Human Development Index are the subgroup at the highest risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This risk varies according to individual, political, and social factors. Poor health care access, flaw outbreak control, and low levels of laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection pose a risk both to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as for the host countries’ populations.

Keywords: Migrants, Refugees, Asylum Seekers, COVID-19, Key Populations.