The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that at a time when the deadly disease is spreading like wildfire, a severe shortage of Cavid-19 vaccine in the Asia-Pacific region is putting the lives of refugees and asylum seekers at risk. These countries have stated their intention to bring refugees and asylum seekers under the Covid-19 vaccine, but not enough vaccines are available to all, so marginalized groups can get this benefit at the end of the day. According to the World Health Organization, 36 million people have been infected with Cavid 19 in the last two months, of which more than 500,000 have died in the Asia-Pacific region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says all 19 refugees living in unhealthy environments are at the highest risk of contracting the Cavid 19 infection.

Andrej Mehechich, a spokesman for the organization, said the number of Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, had risen sharply since April. He says about nine million refugees are living in the camp, the largest number in the world. As of May 31, Mehechiচ said there were 1,178 confirmed cases of refugees, half of whom had been infected in May. Mehechich said not a single person in the Rohingya refugee camp has been vaccinated yet due to the crisis in the supply of vaccines in Bangladesh.

“We have also seen alarming increases in the number of Kavid 19 infections in Nepal, Iran, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia,” he said.