The Nobody Left Outside initiative published an open letter calling on European policymakers to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination among marginalised communities.
We emphasise the critical importance of including marginalised groups in ongoing vaccination programmes if they are to achieve their goal of herd immunity and public health protection.
To this end, NLO recommends that policymakers:
- Take a stronger stance on vaccine equity as the guiding principle for the design and implementation of national COVID-19 vaccination strategies
- Implement specific outreach measures to reach and vaccinate people who face barriers to mainstream healthcare – the NLO Service Design Checklist can help here
- Address vaccine hesitancy and lack of trust in government and health bodies
- Assure access to health services for people who are undocumented or face criminalisation without fear of repercussion
- Combine COVID-19 vaccines with other inclusive public health measures, including public engagement and test, trace and isolation measures that are accessible and suitable for everybody
- Ensure equitable and sustainable access to all forms of healthcare and health information, fostering community engagement to help achieve this
- Support calls for a strong European Health Union with explicit health policy competences for the EU.