Publish Date: 12 December 2021 - 18:01

125K Afghan nationals, host community members in Iran to receive COVID-19 vaccine

Tehran, IRNA– Up to 125,000 Afghan migrants and host community members in Iran will receive two doses for a total of 250,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Eastern provinces of the country as part of the partnership of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).

Iran has been one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with more than 6 million reported cases of infection and 129K deaths till November 2021. The country hosts about 3.6 million displaced Afghan migrants. In the last months, Iran has managed to step up its vaccination campaign with around 53% of the eligible population now fully vaccinated. In order to maximize the safety of the whole community, it is crucial that migrants present in Iran – regardless of their legal immigration status – are also included in the national COVID-19 vaccination plan.

Johannes Bruwer, the head of the ICRC delegation in Iran, said, “Equitable access to the vaccine is vital in the efforts to resolve the COVID-19 pandemic. The involvement of the IRCS in this process is particularly pertinent, as a successful campaign requires community-level delivery and social mobilization to ensure community buy-in and acceptance. The Iranian health authorities and the IRCS are making massive strides on the national vaccination plan, and we are happy to be able to support this effort.”

Mansoureh Bagheri, the Under-Secretary-General for International Affairs and International Humanitarian Law, pointed out that “This is a very welcome donation from our long-standing partner the ICRC on such an important humanitarian issue. The purchased vaccines as the result of this donation will be used to vaccinate 125,000 individuals, both migrants and members of host communities, in the four Eastern Provinces Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchistan, and Kerman.”

The IRCS is a member of the National Covid-19 Task Force in Iran and has been actively supporting the Ministry of Health endeavors in countering the pandemic in the country through various activities including prevention, screening, treatment, and vaccination.

The ICRC continues to work with organizations and authorities across Iran to provide humanitarian assistance and support for those in need, including migrants. The above financial donation is a gesture of solidarity with the IRCS and a part of the larger Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement humanitarian action in responding to humanitarian needs across Iran, including those of Afghan migrants.

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